


Jacob Seed One Shots

by MadQueen, Wealthywetsunny



Series: One Shots [1]
Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: AU, Angst, Bunker End, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Love, M/M, NSFW, Rape/Non-con Elements, Smut, Violent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:53:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 80
Words: 124,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21880510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadQueen/pseuds/MadQueen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wealthywetsunny/pseuds/Wealthywetsunny
Summary: One shots from Far Cry 5 focusing solely on Jacob Seed.Requests are welcome
Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge & Jacob Seed, Jacob Seed/Reader, Staci Pratt/Jacob Seed, jacob seed - Relationship
Series: One Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1178501
Comments: 217
Kudos: 461





	1. Comfort

Rook was tossing and turning, a frown present on her lips as she curled up into a ball. She looked so tiny from where Jacob sat watching her.

For the past few weeks he’s seen the bags under her eyes, the bleary-eyed look she carried whenever he talked to her, how she seemed to never be with him.Going somewhere off in the deep recesses of her mind that was far away from here. From the walls of her cage and the dirty floor beneath her. He often wondered what his little lamb dreamt about nights like these where her own thoughts were killing her just like his usually did. That must be rough, he mused as he leaned forward in his chair. He’s experienced the same thing, knew how she was feeling. How when she woke the world would be ready to screw her over and that sleep offered no escape.

It was painful to watch. Pathetic. Her whimpers filled the night air, most of the prisoners made some awful noise that made him grit his teeth, but she was strong. Different from the rest. Rook shouldn’t appear this vulnerable. It didn't suit the hardened soldier he’s seen in her before.

This wasn't the first time Jacob had sat down and watched her like this. It was the first time he came prepared though. He would always leave before she woke, didn't want to see that haunted look in her eyes, didn't want to be the one she crawled to for comfort. The girl was proud, he knew that, saw it in her face each time she completed a task. The jury was still out on whether she would even consider letting him help her. He would try, extend an olive branch so to speak.

So when she finally came to with a gasp and a half sob that she cut off with a hand clamped over her mouth, he made himself known, whistled sharply. Rook jumped, crying out in surprise. It made his heart clench.

“Calm down, it’s just me, Rook.” He grinned wryly, though in the half-light coming from the moon it could’ve looked more like a grimace. “Didja have another bad dream?” Rhetorical question really. Besides, to her, it sounded more like a taunt.

Her body tensed all over again when he unlocked her cage, hands filled with items she couldn’t make out. When he got closer, she saw what it was and immediately pushed herself back.

Jacob knelt down in the dirt, paying no mind to how she reacted. He laid a blanket across the ground—like they were having a picnic. Another was thrown over his shoulder, for her if she ever worked up the courage to approach him.

On the blanket, he placed a bowl of food down. A mixture of meat and apples, their juices ran together, making a bloody red soup collect at the bottom. A canteen, half full, was tossed over to her. Rook wasn’t stupid, didn’t down it in one gulp, no need to chug it. No matter how badly her throat was hurting.

Her guard was still up, fear still palpable. Jacob didn’t do kindness. This was some test, some motive he had behind this well-practiced facade.

Jacob reached out to hold her wrist and pulled her near. Not stopping until she was sitting on top of the blanket. She didn’t fight it, was too weak. And this whole thing was disorienting. Made her mind swirl to find some explanation.

“C’mon, Deputy.” His hand cupped her cheek, rubbing out circles that made her skin heat up beneath his touch.

Rook was shaking, wasn’t too sure if it was from fear or anger, but she couldn’t control how much she was trembling. “Please don’t do this.”

At the raise of his eyebrows she let out a tiny sob, head dropping forward to avoid his prodding gaze. “Please don’t act like you care.” Whispered so softly he had to lean in before her voice was lost to the howling of the wolves.

Jacob moved closer, half sitting on the blanket with her as he bundled her up in his arms, draping the other blanket that once laid on his shoulders around her body. He directed her to rest her head on his shoulder. Stroked her hair like she was a young child. Soft words were lost on her as he pressed food to her lips, ran water down her throat and praised her for each small thing she did.

It was easy to sleep like that. To take this moment Jacob was offering to her and pretend that Eden’s Gate was good. That they cared for the helpless people that she was now grouped with. She could listen to his heartbeat, a steady pounding that her own pulse fell in line with, close her eyes, and just pretend.


	2. Shower (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Oh, are you ticklish?

Jacob had grabbed her roughly, maneuvering her to stand under the steady stream of water after he forced her clothes off with an angry snarl.

She was his personal pet. Either that or a toy to stave off his boredom. Whatever the case may be, he wanted her clean, complained about how dirty she was, how bad she smelt. She had to bite back the reply that almost rose to the surface. It was his fault. He left her in that damn cage for three months.

She moved to get away from the water, her open wounds stung almost immediately. The cuts were an angry red, maybe even infected. He paid no attention to the way she hissed through her teeth from pain.

Jacob reached forward, uncaring that the sleeves of his jacket were getting soaked. She cringed when he grabbed at her hips and his nails sunk in. “Come on, pup, lets get this over with.” He eased her further under the water as she followed through with his movement, knowing full well that he would get in the shower with her if need be.

Rook squirmed, arching her back when the water hit her skin, made blood swirl down the drain. “Easy there.” The tips of his fingers ran up and down the curves of her side. Some motion that was probably meant to be calming.

This time she arched up for a different reason. A smile cracking on her lips as a soft huff slipped out. She almost told him to stop. He caught the way she reacted and doubled his efforts, a strange gleam in his eyes. “Oh, are you ticklish?”

“Jacob.” Rook held up her finger, a warning. One that he had no intention of listening to.

Jacob laughed incredulously, shaking his head in disbelief. “Big bad soldier, the deputy that’s been fucking over everything in the mountains, is ticklish.” She squirmed when his fingers danced along her skin and made her hop from foot to foot as if she could get away. “C’mon, water’s on a timer, I’d be fast if I were you.”

That didn’t mean he would stop. No, this was a game to him now. Another way to make her uncomfortable around him, on guard. Another way to show he had control.

No matter how absolutely childish it was.

The water cut off a minute later. Suds still clung to her hair. He tsked lightly, reaching out to grab a strand. “Shoulda been quicker. Shouldn’t have gotten distracted.” She knew that responding would be stupid. That he had no problem throwing her in a cage again and starving her. So, like an obedient soldier, she bit the inside of her cheek and met his gaze.

“Think I could fix that though.” Jacob grabbed her upper arm and pulled her along. Her clothes were forgotten as he pushed them out into the hallway and in full view of groups of his men that were keeping busy with whatever task they had been given that day. She averted her eyes, kept her head down and pressed herself closer to him.

Great, exactly what she needed. Rumors circulating about how the fearsome deputy was dragged completely naked into Jacob’s office.

The door slammed closed behind them, making her shoulders draw up around her neck when he shoved her to the middle of the room. With a quick scan she saw they were the only two in there. A little better. Saved her last shreds of modesty. But still terrifying.

“Got a sink right there.” He jerked his head in the corner. It was a rickety metal thing. Looked as if it would break when she placed her hands on the rim. The whole thing coughed and sputtered as she turned the faucet on.

Jacob was behind her in an instant. Moving way more silently than a man his stature had any right to.

He bent her at the waist, one hand grabbing her around the back of her neck. A sharp order to stay. Her forearms were pressed on the edge of the sink with little more than a grunt coming from Jacob as to signal what he wanted her to do.

He plunger her head forward, under the running stream of water. Keeping her virtually silent as he ran his finger up and down her folds. With the position they were in he easily knocked her legs apart to give him a perfect view. He twirled his finger around her entrance but never pushed inside. Jacob let her rock her hips back against his body when he drew his hand away.

“So shameless, Rook.”

Jacob yanked her out of the water, brushing hair out of her face and pressing kisses to her neck. “Spread your legs some more for me. Ass higher up.” Mumbled words with bites to make her comply. Not that she would think to disobey Jacob. She’s tried before, heard countless tales of those who did. Never went well. The man always got what he wanted.

“See?” He thrusted his cock inside with one push. When had he taken himself out? “Listening to me, that’s your best choice. Now how about you stop fighting me for once in your damn life and just take what I give you and say thank you for it?” He went brutally fast. Making her ribs dig into the metal. “Show some gratitude. Some respect. Behave.”

Rook was panting out small breaths. Trying to keep quiet.

“We’re ignoring me now?”

“No. No Jacob.” She winced at how tiny she sounded. How her voice scraped raw. Whether that was from fear of arousal she wasn’t sure.

“So what do you say?”

Her head lolled forward as his hand on her neck tightened, “Thanks.”

He pulled out and grabbed onto her, lifting her up so she had to wrap her legs around his waist. His cock pressed between them, leaking pre cum on their bodies. “Didn’t catch that.”

“Thank you.” Her head went down to avoid his piercing gaze. Forehead pressing against his dog tags.

“Eyes on me when you speak, soldier.”

Rook didn’t miss a beat. Doing as he asked immediately, scared to see what would happen if she made him repeat a command. She had spent so long in that cage starved and scared out of her mind. No way was she going back. Rook would do anything to stay safe. And he knew that.

“Good girl. Now how about you show me how much you appreciate me helping you out. Choosing to rescue you when there are hundreds of others that I could of taken from the cages.”

Jacob dropped her suddenly, putting a hand on her head to make her slink down to the floor. Right in front of his cock.

“Don’t be sloppy. So many people would kill to be given an opportunity like this. Don’t disappoint me.”


	3. Domestic Fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Domestic fluff for Jacob

It had been a quick decision, one that she did without even thinking. The sort of everyday normal thing that she did for Jacob. She’d given it no thought to see him come in late one night with a duffel bag filled with dirty clothes. He’d been out helping Eden’s Gate. Like she thought, normal. Everything went swimmingly when she woke up extra early the next day locked in his embrace and she went to clean his clothes. Throw them in the clunky, rusted washing machine that must’ve been older than her.

A routine they’ve kept for a while. She did his laundry, no big deal.

If Jacob asked she’d have to tell him that she was tired, or just too lazy to really think when she tossed in the lingerie he had bought her a month back. She’d tell him that she was aiming to surprise him, that’s why she wasn’t thinking when she put that bright red garment in with all his clothes. The same clothes that happened to consist of mainly whites and grays. Knowing she had done this trying to please him might soften the blow that now all his shirts were a light pink color.

A tad brighter than salmon. But Jacob didn’t seem much of a pink wearing kind of guy. It screamed ‘shoot me’ when someone’s donning that in the middle of the woods.

He was going to kill her.

Jacob already didn’t have many clothes. He traveled light and wasn’t greedy. He’d gotten by on the bare minimum before, it was a trait he’d probably never drop. Now it was her fault that he’d have to take a huge chunk of money to buy something else he could wear so he didn’t stick out.

And who knows, maybe he hates pink. Maybe he had a fragile masculinity and wouldn’t take that hit to his reputation. Whatever the case may be she was panicking. On the verge of tears as she clung to a bundle of his shirts in her fists and huddled over the basket as if her small frame could hide it if Jacob wandered anywhere close. She was on her knees, tears already pooling in her eyes because she knew Jacob would be tired, that he didn’t need this right now.

Rook tensed all over again when she heard the bed shift in the other room. It creaked and groaned under his weight, she made the brave assumption that he was awake, that he was on the hunt for her. He told her how he loved waking up with her in his arms, face pushed close together. And that would’ve been the case today if the laundry hadn’t betrayed her and turned a whole other shade of the rainbow.

_Right Rook, go and tell him it was the clothes fault and he’ll think you lost your damn mind._

“Dep?”

She flinched at his words. Head turning and listening to him; banging cabinets and the opening the fridge, getting breakfast ready.

Her mouth opened, suddenly dry. He’d be angry, upset, he might hide it but he would be, she got so much better at figuring out his expressions. She’d get in even more trouble, scare him more if she didn’t answer. She didn’t want him to think anything happened to her.

“In here Jake. Doing laundry.”

_Destroying laundry_

Rook sighed, pushing the clothes in the large wicker basket, forming a large pile of pink. And at the top was the beautiful piece of lingerie he had gotten her. She’d worn it once and he adored it, especially the color. Now look where it got them. Or him, she wasn’t the one who had to wear pink clothes.

She stayed like that for too long, hunched over the basket, hands cradling her face. Pulse quickening when she heard his approach. Then the stop of his bare feet at the door.

“Pup?”

A whine came from her mouth. She couldn’t look at him. At the shock horror that would be there.

“Hey,” no answer. “Deputy, you alright?” She heard the biting edge of panic and felt bad all over again. Her hands dropped, but before she could turn around he was already on her. Arms pulling her close, into his lap. “What’s wrong?” He invaded her space, lips brushing over her cheeks and catching her mouth. Fighting to get a smile on her face.

She cast her gaze on the treacherous clothing, let him follow her line of sight.

“Is that…?”

“Your stuff, the laundry.”

“It’s pink. The fuck did you do?”

She took a shuddering breath. One that made her ribs rattle.

Without saying another word he reached one arm out to take off the lingerie. He held it up like a dead fish. “Think I found our culprit pup.” When she looked back at him she saw the trace of a smile on his face. A light chuckle coming from him made her brows furrow in confusion. “You really screwed up huh?”

“You’re not mad?”

“Mad? No. Amused. Yes, definitely. Besides,” Jacob kissed her again, delighting in how she pushed closer to him. “John’s been on my ass about getting new clothes for years. Some bullshit about monochromatic colors.” Jacob blew out a breath he was holding, moving to grab a pink short sleeve shirt “Now I don’t think this is what he meant, but it’ll shut him up that’s for sure. I think Faith’ll like it too, always liked bright colors. Yellows, oranges., that kind of shit.”

Rook blinked. Was he serious?

“And Joseph.” Jacob let out a low whistle and squeezed her tight. “Had the nerve to tell me that I’m intimidating, too dark. He said it in a more subtle gentle way because it’s Joseph, but still, I was offended. Guess I’ve got my Kitten to thank for fixing me.”

Jacob nudged her off his lap, helping the both of them to stand. He locked eyes with her and tossed the shirt over his head. He tugged at it, disappearing for a minute and reappearing with his army jacket. His forearm was braced on the door frame, wearing a casual smile.

“You still love me pup?”

“Wha—I, Jacob…”

“Cause with the way you’re acting it’s like you’re the only one caught up over this thing. My family won’t care. I don’t care, my men won’t say a damn thing to me and the resistance knows how strong I am, god help them if they say anything.” He stalked closer to her, grabbing her so he could carry her. Her legs wrapped around his midsection instinctively. “That leaves you.”

“Thought you’d be pissed.” She cupped his cheeks, thumbs moving across the scarred terrain of his skin. “And to answer your question, yes. Yes I still love you.”


	4. Dub-con Spanking (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Dub-con bdsm spanking

“Again.”

Again. It was always again with this man. Never done until she got it perfect. Usually her mistakes weren’t as prevelnent. Up until now her screw ups didn’t result in bruises and split lips and cut up knuckles. Though it was damn worth it when Jacob was looking just as haggard.

He pulled her out of her cage bright and early, the sun wasn’t even up yet. They had fought in semi darkness in a sparse corner of his compound where no one would bother them. Fists flying the same as curse words.

Each time he struck her down he’d accompany it with some new tidbit. A trick that would help her to get better, further in beating him. Maybe she’d even make him fall, bring him to his knees. The thought made her snicker as she laid on her back. Arms a tangled mess above her head, limbs that went numb a long time ago.

Sparring like this for hours on end wasn’t normal for her, it wasn’t fun in the slightest. She was ready to give up. And wasn’t that an idea. Rook let her eyes slip close, shutting out her view of the starry Montana sky.

“Get up.”

“Make me.”

And just like that he was grabbing her roughly. Holding her upper arms and making her press into his chest when her legs proved useless. “Do it again.”

“Again.” She tossed up her hands in rage as she shoved against his chest to move away. “Always again with you huh Jacob?”

“It’s ‘sir’.”

Her lips tightened at the name. He’d have to beat her bloody before she would ever show that level of respect.

She flexed her fingers, shook out her hands and nodded her head once. She was ready. Knew where to hit, what to do. Implementing what he taught her and taking her own set of skills into account. Jacob may be fit, was pretty large too. But he was verging on 50. His stamina wasn’t the best, which fleetingly made her concerned for those who got into tussles with him when he was a young man.

That thought turned to a cloud of mist in the air as she dodged a fist flying towards her jaw. He was panting, sweat changing the color of his grey shirt.

When he paused in his movements, legs slightly apart in a wide stance, she launched herself at him. Taking him to the ground. Staying like that wasn’t an option. She knew that he’d be able to gain the upper hand quickly, with that in mind she clambered off him before he had time to recover and as a last minute decision went for a nearby bat and slammed It down on his stomach.

Killing him wasn’t something she could do, she wouldn’t be able to face those repercussions. That didn’t mean she couldn’t take out her pent up rage. Hit him over and over in the gut with the hopes it would break his ribs. Names of allies ringing off in her head, listing all the people he had wronged. That’s why she was doing this.

Rook lost herself for a second in her wrath. Tears rushed down her cheeks, the first time she’s cried since her captivity. It was well deserved after all she’s been through. That made her unfocused though. She realized that a little too late. Gave him ample time to see where she aimed repeatedly and let him reach out to grab the bat.

“Now that’s a bad pup.”

He yanked it from her grasp, making her relinquish the weapon. The same weapon that he told her she wasn’t supposed to use at the start of this. Rook prided herself on not playing dirty. But seriously, fuck Jacob Seed. Fuck him and his whole operation.

“You and me, we’re gonna need to have a chat. Some punishment.” Jacob grunted yet grinned through the pain his must’ve been feeling. He caught sight of her wide eyed expression. How she took a few steps back and cast her gaze around, a prey looking for a way out. “Or,” he stressed the word as he flung his shirt off to examine the damage she wrought. “I can send ya to Joseph. See what he’d rather do. No telling who he’d give ya to. Or maybe he’d punish you himself. And trust me, that man knows how to hurt someone.”

Jacob was the safer choice. It was a gamble, a goddamn lottery with Joseph. The eldest knew that, felt absolutely calm about what her choice would be.

*****

Jacob had shoved her along, a pistol pressed into the small of her back to keep her moving. Any other day and he would have carried her. Tossed her over his shoulder and showed her how he was in charge, the dominant one. He had other ways of doing that though, other ways to make her cower into submission.

He spent the next half hour prepping her for her punishment. Taking careful thought as what he should do to her when everything he's tried in the past was ineffective. Meaning the cage and starvation were out.

Sooner rather than later he decided on something a little unorthodox. Albeit he’s thought about it quite a few nights alone. Jacob had her arms tied up above her head, bound tight with scratchy ropes not at all designed for comfort. They rubbed her skin raw with each movement. Her legs could only move to far apart, cuffs locking her into place as she shifted her bare feet on the cold tiled ground. The only thing keeping her upright were the ropes around her wrists. From the uncomfortable position there was no way she was going to be able to stand upright. Bending over was her only option.

Something that Jacob deemed perfect.

“Pup.” The flat of his palm ran across her bare ass. Presented for him. She whined when she felt his warm skin get replaced by a hard wooden paddle. Then the leather of a belt, and finally a whipping cane. All running over smoothly. Never drawing back to strike her. “Pick your poison.”

“Fuck you.”

Jacob drew back the belt, knew how much damage that could do. The resounding noise it made was pleasant. How she squirmed and yelped out caused him to chuckle. “What? Never been spanked before?” Her silence and gentle huff of annoyance was all the answer he needed. “That’s fine, Deputy,” Jacob drawled, planting a few light pats on her ass with his hand. “Don’t you worry, we’ll start slow.”

True to his word, because unlike a certain thorn in his side, he played fair, using his hand to spank her. Repeatedly pounding at the skin until it was bright crimson and she began instinctively recoiling before he landed another hit. Already anticipating the tingling pain.

The paddle made her cry out, legs kicking and trying to get away from the rough wood that made the skin bruise. “Don’t think you’ll be sitting for a while pup. Might have to keep a close eye on you, keep you by my side for a few weeks.” The words had the intended effect. Beautiful pleas spilling from her mouth, tears dripping down her cheeks.

The cane made criss cross lines appear. Bloody red streaks that had her full on sobbing.

And that’s where he stopped. When her body went slightly limp and he feared she would pass out. He wasn’t about to give her an out that easy.

“Stay with me Deputy.” Jacob picked up the belt instead, going around to face her. Rook quivered when she saw his boots. Whimpering when he barked an order for her to look at him. “Shame to do this all over again if you happen to go unconscious.”

“Jacob.”

“I know, I know, that’d be awful wouldn’t it pup?” His tone was completely mocking. Holding sympathy that was false as he ran a callused hand down her spine. In the palm of his hand he squeezed one of her cheeks, smearing the blood around.

“Almost done. Home stretch.”

One hit after the other was delivered to her ass. An unrelenting pace that had her screaming for mercy, handcuffs around her ankles clanking together. Ropes making her wrists start to bleed.

By the end he hadn’t even realized she had passed out. Had thought she was faking it when her head hung low and he called her name. He crouched down, belt clutched in his grip as he tapped her face, rousing her.

“There we are.” Jacob smiled seeing the fear in her eyes. “You sleeping on me?”

“N-no. No sir.”

“That’s what it looked like pup. I don’t appreciate laziness. I don’t like it when my soldiers don’t take what I’m giving them either.”

The belt was tossed on the ground, hand steadying over her abused flesh.

“Guess we’ll just have to start over.”


	5. Somnophilia (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Somnophilia

Jacob watched with utter amusement as her head dipped forward repeatedly. Trying her damndest to stay awake. To stay up and alert. Not yet ready to give into the sweet embrace of sleep when he was sitting across from her. Not a chance. Not when he could do a number of things to her when she was unaware. Murder was the one at the top of her list. She didn’t give a damn what Joseph told Jacob, that she needed to be alive. Jacob didn’t seem to be as devoted as John, he’d gladly reap the consequences of drawing out her death.

But he knew patience better than anyone. It didn’t hurt that he was well fed and could sleep on regular hours. He’d wait her out.

When her head dropped forward, body going slack for a few moments, Jacob stood and approached her. Walking with loud purposeful steps. Whistling lightly as he grabbed her hair and exposed her face to him. He tapped her cheeks a few times, checking her eyes behind closed lids and deeming her properly passed out.

Time to have some fun.

*****

The dirty old mattress he had laid out a couple weeks ago in his office would do just fine. Not like his partner would complain. She didn’t have much say in the matter with the state she was in.

Recently he saw Rook crack under the stress of the cage, it destroyed even the strongest of people. She was on guard 24/7, the activity of his compound was beginning to grate on her nerves. He was perceptive, knew how she’d eventually fall under his command. He longed for a time when she’d be broken enough for her to just go with the flow, accept what he was doing to her because she realized there was no other choice in the matter. It may have taken months, but she was finally at that point. And he was going to take full advantage.

Jacob lowered her slowly with a dull thud, causing a puff of dust to form around them before dissipating into the air. All his movements were slow. Taking careful measures not to wake her.

His large hands started with her top, no fun in this if he didn’t get the full show.

And oh boy, the extra effort was worth it. With a flick of his wrist from his sharp blade her bra laid in tattered strips on the floor with her discarded shirt. Her breasts were full, fit in both his hands perfectly. He wasted no time pinching her nipples, squeezing them roughly until they were perky, hard, tight buds that he leaned down to bite. Underneath him she stirred when he sunk his teeth in a little too hard. Making tiny marks on her nipples.

Jacob kissed downward, tongue dipping into her navel, humming at the taste of dirt and sweat. She tasted so human, so real.

Popping off the button of her jeans and sliding down the offending clothing made him let out a light groan. The panties she wore were a tad too small. Showing the start of a mound of pubic hair that he couldn’t resist raking his nails through. He sliced through her underwear, laying a gentle kiss right above her cunt. Taking a moment to nuzzle his nose through the curly, dark hair that covered her sex.

“Open up for me dep.” Mumbled words spoken as he focused solely on spreading her legs for him.

Jacob went quick, stripping his clothing off. With her being asleep he didn’t have to worry about what the woman lying with him would think about the scars littering his body. Disfiguring him. Right now he could bare his body and just enjoy the wetness that was leaking between her thighs.

“Fuckin perfect.” His fingers spread her lips, showing him a tight entrance. One finger slipped in, sighing at how she clenched around him. “Gonna be tough honey, to stretch you out. You gotta be strong.” He moved slowly, hoisting her legs over his shoulders. He pushed himself inside, pausing whenever she moved or whined.

He rocked forward, pistoning in and out of her. Hand braced on her stomach, watching her insides swell at how full he was making her. Jacob let his head drop forward when he went faster. Curse words falling from his lips.

He stilled when she squirmed, trying to roll on her side in her sleep, impeded by the man on top of her.

Rook let out a light moan when he pulled out, his careful fingers rubbing at her clit just to hear the sounds she made when she wasn’t even aware of it.

“God, so good for me. You hear that Deputy?” He leaned down to form bruises on her neck.

Jacob changed position when she shifted to lay on her side. Sighing contentedly as she curled into the fetal position. That would work too.

He moved behind her, lifting her leg up and holding it in the air to spread her properly. He slid in with no resistance. Letting her juices coat him. Like before, he went slow, picking up the pace when he wasn’t worried about waking her.

He felt her walls clamp down on him, stealing his breath away. His teeth grazed along her neck, a soothing pattern up and down that she was leaning into.

She subconsciously moved back against him and that’s all he needed to finish. To spill inside her and paint her walls with his Seed.

“Good job soldier.”

Another gentle kiss placed on her skin as he locked his forearm around her neck, pulling her closer. That’d be enough just in case she’d wake up. Hell, maybe she’d even let him fuck her again.


	6. Video Broadcast (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob records himself and the deputy as a lesson to those in Eden’s Gate (Such as what he did with Pratt)

Her sight was taken away. All she could do was listen intently to Jacob’s shuffling feet and the click of a camera being turned on. A prerecorded video that he had every intention of broadcasting all over the mountains tomorrow. This was a lesson to his fellow man. A punishment for her and a learning experience for all involved. Even those who would marvel at the screen would gain something from this.

This split second decision he made had blossomed from a week ago, a tiny argument that spiraled too fast for Rook to stop it. And now look where that got her. Chained up on a small metal examination table. Naked and exposed. Cold breeze taking her breath away and filling her with apprehension for what he had planned.

She shouldn’t have questioned him. Should have kept her mouth shut when she brought up his supposed theories. Like a total idiot who apparently had a death wish, she called his practices a load of bull. Said he was a phony along with his damn crazy brother who believed to be a prophet. Told him that he wasn’t on top like he thought he was. He just strutted around like a damn peacock, showing off and lying through his teeth.

When the words were said, out in the open for all to hear, she felt absolutely no fear. Why should she? There were heavy bars separating his curled fist from her jaw.

He hadn’t told her what he was planning on doing to her. Didn’t say what this was supposed to teach anyone. She’d learn exactly when the camera was rolling and he began one of his speeches that he and his family adored so much.

She tensed when she heard his voice, closer than she had thought. Passing in front of the camera it seemed.

“We all have our roles in this world. Certain jobs we need to play in order to keep balance. We know that, I’ve told everyone that the weak have their purpose. Yet it seems,” She felt his hand on her stomach, making her jerk and him chuckle, “That a few of us may have forgotten that little principle. And we can’t have that can we? That will destroy us in the end. If some people can’t accept this.”

He leaned down, breath tickling her ear and causing her to squirm. “I’ll show you your purpose Deputy.” Quiet enough so only she could hear.

“I hope, brothers and sisters, that you all are watching. That you will come to realize that God has a purpose for you and you need to embrace it.”

There was an electric buzzing noise, one that she knew too well. A sound she hasn’t heard since she’s walked into the county.

Her legs were spread just enough to expose her cunt, to allow Jacob to pull her lips apart to get better access to her clit. He had no mercy when he pressed the rounded head of the vibrator to her most sensitive parts. It wasn’t an intense feeling, the setting was on the lowest point and only served to make her needy. She rolled her hips up into it, flinched when she heard Jacob chuckle. “This one pretends to know her purpose. You’ll find a lot of people will do that, lots of our brothers and sisters do that too.”

The vibrator buzzed harder with the flick of a switch, drawing her closer to her orgasm.

“You must drill it into their heads. Show them, force them to see it. Even if it means pain. By the end, they’ll understand. They’ll be grateful. This is better than the alternative.”

He reached to his left where a small medical table waited for him, filled with toys. The smallest one would do for now. Would make her cum quickly with the thread she was hanging on by.

The dildo pressed into her wet heat, her walls grabbed onto it. She saw sparks in the utter darkness her blindfold provided. He moved it in and out fast, vibrator pushing harder on her clit.

She gave up her pride, arched up into it the best she could given the restraints on her limbs.

The dildo was pulled out as soon as she came and replaced with something larger, with more grooves along the side to pet her walls and drive her into overstimulation.

“Sometimes you need to be the bigger, stronger person and help those who refuse to see their purpose. It’s the only way to save them, to make sure they survive once the collapse comes.”

Jacob moved the toy out of her at a faster pace. Leaning down to kiss along her neck, to hear the tiny whines she made that the camera couldn’t pick up.

Another thirty seconds went by and she was coming undone again. Wiggling her hips to escape the press of the vibrator that he had yet to give her a break from. Her clit was engorged and reddened. Painful with how he was treating her.

He took everything away. Let her catch her breath before cupping her jaw and coaxing her mouth open. He used the dildo that had just been stuffed inside her cunt and pushed it down her throat. Gazing back at the camera like it was challenge. He risked a quick glance down, saw how she sputtered around the toy’s girth as he shoved it down to the hilt. When he yanked it back out a geyser of saliva pooled out of her mouth and ran down her chin.

Jacob took off his pants, tossing them out of view and rolled his shoulders back before climbing onto the table where she lay. It was barely big enough for the both of them. Shaking under their combined weight.

“Deputy.” Jacob drew out the syllables, hands coming to rest on her waist. “You’ll take me, and at the end you will know respect. You will have respect for me and for what I’m doing. You’ll say thank you, got it Pup?”

He slipped in a finger when she said nothing. Curling it up and pressing on her sensitive nerves.

“I need an answer.”

“Got it.” Merely a whisper he had to lean closer to hear.

He kissed her, pressing tight on her jaw until she opened up for him. “You’re doing so well. Keep it up.”

With that he slid in. Angling his hips just right as he thrusted in and out shallowly. His breaths were light pants in her ear. A constant reminder that he was bearing down on top of her.

Jacob didn’t go slow. There was no getting around the sensitivity she would feel no matter what he did or how fast he went. The drag of his cock made her legs kick and the muscles in her arms tense.

Finally she let out a sob. A scream that reverberated in the small room. Followed by pleas that fell on deaf ears, Jacob didn’t listen to her calls to stop. He kept going until he was spent. Pushing himself in deeper, keeping his seed inside her.

“If we don’t teach the weak their purpose they will be our downfall. They will drag Eden’s Gate towards Hell. Don’t make any mistakes now brothers and sisters. We can’t, not when we’re so close.”

Jacob pulled out. Patting her cheek as he rounded the table. His hand hesitated on the off switch before he grabbed the camera off its tripod and held it up to his face. Almost as an afterthought he muttered the words that would make all of this stick. Something that people would listen to so long as this point was made clear.

“This is the will of The Father.”


	7. Fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Fluff for Jacob

Rook’s hand shoved under the stream of water falling from the faucet. Jacob’s old clunky bath was groaning, pipes working overtime as she filled the tub up as much as she dared. Constantly her gaze flicked between the clock in the next room and the task she was trying to get done before Jacob got home.

He thought she didn’t realize the stress he was carrying. That his shoulders were too tense or that he was slower to smile when she teased him. He held her closer at night, almost crushing her ribs. She felt the minute shudders that ran through his body as they neared sleep together. He was on the verge of something dangerous.

He left that morning bright and early, with her giving him a parting kiss, running her hand through his tuft if hair when he barely responded. His only response a rough grunt when she said her goodbyes. The poor man needed a hand out.

This was her way of extending an olive branch. Showing she cared.

There were bubbles and it was warm and it was perfect.

As if on cue she heard the door slam. Like the stars had finally aligned in Hope County for her.

“Pup?”

She was up in an instant, racing around the corner and slamming into his heavy body. His arms came up to grab her, pulling her in a tight hug. His nose pressed into the crown of her head, he was shaking, a soft broken noise tearing from his lips.

Was he...crying?

“I’ve got a surprise for you.” Mumbled as her head was being pressed into the meat of his stomach. With a little resistance she was able to break free of his grasp, tugging him along by his jacket into the warmth of the bathroom. For right now she’d let his outburst pass, he never did like it much when she pointed them out.

“Christ, it’s like a fucking sauna in here.”

“It’s comforting.”

“It’s deadly.”

Rook turned on her heel. Reaching to shove his jacket off his frame and dropped to her knees to take off his belt. She ignored the heavy weight of his hand on her head. “That’s not a part of the surprise.”

“Why’re you doing this?” She glanced up through her lashes, let him run his thumb over her bottom lip.

“To relieve stress. To comfort you. To show you I love you.”

“All of that can be done if you just suck my dick. Not really good at all this romantic shit.”

She snorted, pulling his pants and underwear down in one go.

“Remove your shirt Seed.”

When he did nothing she rose and yanked it off for him. Shoving him towards the bath she so painstakingly prepared for him. Her hard work was going to pay off dammit.

He eased himself in, a strained look on his face, muttering the whole time how hot it was. His shoulders were bunched up around his neck. “Well? Happy?”

“Immensely.” She crossed her arms. A smile forming on her lips when he let his head loll backwards to rest on the tiles.

“You should at least get in with me.”

He peaked an eye open to find her. Bright inquisitive stare piercing through her.

Soon enough she had stripped, feeling slightly dirty as he watched her. Giving whistles at opportune moments.

“C’mere pup.” He held his arms open, legs splayed so she could slip in between. The water had spilled over. Soaking the floor and the bath mat. Though that wasn’t really her fault. She hadn’t accounted for two people.

“Nice job Rook.”

She laid soft kisses over his collarbone as an apology, placing bites along his neck. Forming bruises to claim his as hers. He was close to a precipice, close to going off the rails and losing it all. But right now, these small parts of their day when they could just sit back and pretend there was no war. No Eden’s Gate. If it got him plaint and breathing easy in her grasp, then she’d give clear her schedule daily for her hardened mountain man.


	8. PTSD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob had a PTSD episode and the deputy (wife) brings him out of it

The absolute worst time for Jacob to retreat in his mind would be in the middle of a firefight. When they were pinned down by the resistance, steadily being pushed back and losing the battle, fearing they all might be slaughtered. They needed their leader, the strong man that Jacob was, they needed him. But he froze. Rook saw the light in his eyes blink out, saw his muscles go lax under his dirtied jacket.

She wasn’t sure what set it off. Maybe the screams of the fallen or the gunfire that deafened the ambient sounds of the forest. She wasn’t sure what was replaying through his head in black and white, making him forget where he was. That him digging his spine into the tree he was hidding behind with his head tipped back and eyes closed could mean death. Not just for him, but for her and all of Eden’s Gate soldiers who were fighting valiantly with no direct orders.

“Cover me.” Rook jabbed the man next to her in the ribs with the butt of her gun. He gave a curt nod, following her gaze to where Jacob was. One of two covering their left flank. The other woman out there with him wouldn’t be able to protect their side all alone. It was a weak spot that could get them killed.

She ran quick, keeping her body low to the ground. Avoiding gunfire that popped off at her feet and shot rocks in every direction. She dodged between knocked over crates, going as far as to crawl under a truck. Almost getting herself stuck when the metal got caught on her bag. She squirmed out, letting a bullet fly dangerously close to her head.

By the time she got to Jacob he was hunched over. Knees drawn up and head hanging in between. Breath coming out in short pants that made her worry he would hyperventilate.

“Jacob?”

She may be his wife, his lover, someone who’s stood by him for almost two years now. But he was so secretive about his PTSD. Hell, he never even used the word. Denial at its finest. He spoke about his wartime, about what happened, never afraid to reveal that. But it’s like he couldn’t make the connection why he woke up in a cold sweat and couldn’t get enough sleep.

If they made it out of this they’d need to talk. A talk about what the fuck she was supposed to do. She’s dealt with pulling people out of panic attacks. This wasn’t the same though. A whole different monster. One wrong move and he could slit her throat.

She’d just have to ground him right? Remind him where he was. A gentle voice and soothing touch could do someone wonders she bet.

“Jacob? Can you hear me?”

His head jerked slightly to the side. She couldn’t tell if that was him responding to her question or reacting to the sudden sound of her speaking.

“I’m gonna—“ She swallowed thickly. Wincing at the sound of people drawing near. “Can I touch you?” Any other situation and she’d expect his cheeky grin, like a cheshire cat. “Here, let me…” her hand went slow. Keeping it in his view the entire time. Eyes on the knife he had in one hand, and the gun he had in the other. She cupped his cheek. Starting at his chin and sliding upward to rest on his scarred face.

“Good. That’s good.” A burst of gunfire scrapped the tree they were behind. She saw his men across the field back up slightly. They were losing this battle. Getting pushed up the mountain. If she didn’t hurry her and Jacob would be stuck in the midst of the enemy. “Take a deep breath. You’re gonna pass out Jacob.” She wasn’t sure if that was true, but it looked like he wasn’t getting enough air. Judging by the short breaths he was taking. Deftly her other hand moved around to feel his pulse. On his neck...that was her first mistake. Her second being she moved too fast.

The quick movement on her part had him jam his gun in the soft skin of her throat. The cold metal made her shiver. He wouldn’t shoot her. No way. “Jacob. Look at me.” He complied. Some haunting murderous look in his eyes. “It’s just me here. Only me.” That wasn’t true, but telling him he was in the middle of a fucking firefight, trying to win a battle, that wouldn’t shock him out of his reverie.

Rook wrapped her fingers around his wrist. The same wrist brandishing a pistol.

“I don’t know what you’re seeing.” She frowned, quickly amending herself. “What you think you see. But it’s not real. Just a flashback Jake.” She saw his jaw clench under his beard.

She moved his hand slowly away from her neck, letting the gun lower and squeezing it from his grip. “Pup.”

A sob caught in her throat. He was coming back. He’d be fine. They’d be okay. They needed to move though. Judging by the worried cries of Eden’s Gate members coming from way behind them. Already loading in the trucks at the top of the hill. Calling to them, not wanting to leave their herald and his wife on the battlefield.

“We gotta go Jacob.”

“Hm?” He scrubbed at his face. Groaning as he clenched his knife tighter.

Her third mistake came too fast to process. She wasn’t paying attention. Let one man get too close and grab her. Tearing her away from Jacob’s searing gaze. He had held her around the midsection, pulling her further away. He had separated himself from the pack. Playing the hero.

“I got her! Hurry up, her and Jacob are right here!” Screams that bounced around them, traveling down the mountain to the resistance.

In the blink of an eye the man holding her slackened. Gargling, choking on his own blood. He fell on his back in a mangled heap. Jacob’s red hunting knife sticking out of him. Jacob lifted himself up from his spot on the floor. Taking his time when he grabbed his knife and inspected the blood that had stained it. He pulled her to his chest. Mumbling incoherently in her hair.

“Thank you. Thank you. Fuck,” He bent down slightly, holding onto her shoulders. Staring straight in her eyes. “Thanks pup.”


	9. Forced Marriage (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Forced wedding that leads to a blissed up deputy tied up in his bed; Jacob also had a breeding kink in this one

She’s visibly shaking when she came into view. The bliss making her jittery. Rook was being led by one of his sister’s faithful. Walking steadily towards him with green fumes coming off her body. The same body so beautifully wrapped up in the white dress John had chosen for her, fabric clinging tight to her curves. Making her waist stand out and her breasts spill forward. Giving him the perfect look at the dip of her chest when she was placed in front of him.

Mechanically she took his hands when offered. Clasping onto them, squeezing painfully tight. Probably scared out of her mind, not being able to comprehend reality.

Being this close now, he saw the way the bliss had affected her. Clouding her eyes, making them look misty. Too much of an Angel. Jacob shuddered at the thought. Focusing instead on the future. When she’d be by his side, when she would finally be his. It was like a weight being lifted off his shoulders.

When prompted, a quick nudge from Faith, Rook said ‘I do’, he was aware that she was too far gone to understand. Even wondered for a moment what it was she thought she was seeing. Prayed it was something nice, that she could recall this and have a nice memory stored away.

He cupped her cheeks, leaning down to reach her lips. Going soft, not using teeth or tongue. Keeping it as PG as possible in front of his family. That good shit, that was reserved for him. For his eyes only.

*****  
Despite it being three hours later, Rook was still blissed out of her mind. Clinging to Jacob, hanging off his arm like he was her only lifeline. He supposed that now he was; with them being married.

The word, even the thought of marriage, it still felt weird. Surreal. A big, gruff, disturbed army man like himself never considered it. Never thought anyone would come along that piqued his interest.

He was glad he found her when he did. When she was strong and able. With a fierceness in her eyes that made him want to take her right on the floor of the cage his hunters tossed her in.

Finally, after months of waiting and with the approval of his family, he could do just that. Maybe not on the ground like rowdy animals, he’d save that for another time. For now the bed in his office would have to suffice.

Jacob disposited the deputy on his bed, dragging her arms above her head and stroking the side of her face when she began to squirm. A whine coming out of her pouty lips.

He used two sets of handcuffs to connect both wrists to the headboard of the bed. It gave her enough wiggle room, but at least there’d be no way for her to loosen the hold the restraints had on her. He’s learned the hard way that people as crafty as Rook would be able to find their way out of ropes.

Jacob straddled her, knife unsheathed from its place on his thigh holster.

“Stay still.” The warning was accompanied by a sharp nip to her neck, leaving a bruise behind in its wake. The knife slashed through the thin shirt he had changed her into after the wedding. Something meant for comfort after he told Joseph that he didn’t want her dirtying the dress in her drugged state. Not like he actually cared about that, he just really wanted to cut her clothes off. He wanted to see how submissive she would become.

The shorts she wore hung loosely off her hips, quickly sliced off. Panties slipped down and bra straps snapping off and being tossed in a different direction.

With her bare to him he took her breasts in his hands. Squeezing them appreciatively. Rubbing his fingers over her nipples until they were hardened from his touch. He leaned down, tongue flicking out between his lips to lap at her nipple. Making her buck her hips into him.

“Shush, just take me pup.” He pushed two fingers  
into her sopping wet heat. Relishing at the noise she made.

He pulled out, bringing his shiny fingers to his mouth. Sucking her juices off his skin. Jacob pushed a kiss to her lips, humming when she granted him access.

In another few minutes he pulled his cock out into the open air. Releasing a pained breath as the pressure was relieved.

Rook’s legs were tossed over his shoulders as he fit snugly between her splayed legs. He jammed himself inside her. God, she was tight. Clamping down on him. It took every ounce of self control he had to not cum right then.

He didn’t go slow. Pounded into her, filling the room with the noise of skin slapping skin. Her breasts rippled from the force he was using. Her muscles were tense in her stomach where he had rested his hand. As much as she could in the handcuffs, she arched her back. Kicked her legs from where they were tossed over his shoulders. The hand that was fisting the sheets shot out to slap her ass, placing a rough bite to her inner thigh. “Bad girl.” Jacob chided, soothing it with a kiss. “Don’t fight your husband.”

That word send his head reeling. Made this new life he had so much more real. He could imagine her in his mind’s eye, swelling with his kid. His little pups growing inside her. A final act of showing she was his.

A snarl tore from his lips as he felt his orgasm growing. Building up and racing towards him like a freight train that he couldn’t slow down.

“You’re gonna take it all honey. Gonna keep you fucked and bred so you can never—“ He grunted, finishing inside her. “Leave me. Never.”

With his cock still shoved inside her, reddened and cum leaking out from her cunt, he rubbed her clit, teasing her. Stopping whenever he felt her clench around him.

“Jacob?”

“Ah.” Another flick to her engorged nub. “Look who decided to come to the party.” With that, full knowledge she was truly feeling this now that the bliss was leaving her system, he made her cum. Rubbed it strikingly fast until she was screaming at the sudden pleasure that overwhelmed her senses.

She was left panting on the bed, hiding her face in her strung up arms the best she could.

“Ya did fucking perfect.” He thrusted shallowly inside her sensitive walls. “Keep that all in. Wanna see you grow big with my children. We’ll do this again later tonight. Make sure all you know is the feeling of my cum shoved inside you. The stretch of my cock.” He leaned down, covering her body with his own. He planned to stay inside her until he grew hard again in her walls. Being as old as he was...well, they were going to be there a while.


	10. Masturbation (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob has an explicit dream of the deputy and when he wakes up he masturbates

_She was kneeling for him. Listening to every order he gave her. The perfect pet. His beautiful loyal pup who sat between his knees, holding his cock in her small hand. Licking up the shaft and swirling her tongue around the head. He forced her head down._

_“Don’t tease pup. Don’t wanna punish you.”_

_She moaned around him. Causing vibrations to run through him. He jerked his hips up, making her choke. Saliva was connecting at the corner of her lips, slipping down her chin._

_“Keep going, like that.” Another rough roll of his hips and he was close, so ready to spill down her throat. Make her swallow it all, mark his place. Claim her. Show her that she belonged to him. That this was her home. That she’d always come running back. And if he had to keep her plaint on his cock, properly fucked, in order to get that through her head, then so be it. He had time._

“ _You’re taking me so well pup. Looking perfect.” He thumbed at her cheek. Chuckling when she leaned into his touch. “ So obedient for me.”_

_She sucked harder. Saw how he was right on the edge, feeling how he throbbed in her mouth. Body tensing._

Jacob jolted up on his elbows. Legs snapping out in panic and confusion before he realized what was happening. That the tiny cage he had dragged in his office was empty. That the deputy was still out there running rampant and not home where she belonged. No matter how many times he told her that’s where she was supposed to be. She just wouldn’t listen.

So he was left with remnants of that dream floating through his head, making his hand stray lower, palming at the bulge starting to form in his underwear. He was like a kid again, getting all hot and bothered by a fucking dream. Waking up hard and needing what wasn’t there.

The unfairness of it all had him tearing off his boxers with a ferocity that made him let out a pained noise when the fabric rubbed against his leaking cock. Pre-cum beaded at the tip. A sheen of pearly white that disappeared into his skin as he fisted up and down roughly. No time for gentle or slow. He didn’t want a build up, probably couldn’t handle that with how desperate he felt.

He moved his hand faster, twisting his wrist as he stroked up. Keeping images of the deputy in his mind. Just like his dream, her on her knees. Worshiping his body. He’d have her bent over his desk, clattering pens and stray papers over the floor to make room. His mind changed scenes, tossed her on his tiny cot that his frame could barely be held by. She was on hands and knees for him. Ass up in the air. Primal. Raw. Animalistic.

He’d make her beg.

Jacob came across his knuckles with a strangled cry. He was alone in his bed, the sun was just starting to peak in behind the light curtains framing the windows.

“Sir?”

With a groan, Jacob scrubbed at his eyes and grabbed the radio that was lying on the floor.

“What is it?”

“The deputy. Some hunters stumbled across her, used bliss arrows on her. She’s in the cage now.”

He gave off a light grunt of affirmation. Already picking himself up to start the day, moving faster with the knowledge that he had a nicely wrapped present in the form of his favorite pup waiting for him.


	11. Insecurities (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: It’s Jacob and Rook’s wedding night and with that comes the consummation of their marriage. Problems arise when Jacob’s hesitancy about his scars get in the way, yet Rook is there to comfort him

It was always a lingering question in the back of her mind. Wondering how seriously Jacob took his brother’s teachings. If he really wouldn’t touch her until they were bound by the sanctity of marriage.

Turns out that was a load of bull.

But the way he spoke of consummating their new relationship made it truly sound holy. And the man better live up to the hype he built around himself whenever they fooled around, considering every other time it had always been something quick and sloppy when they were out in public or had somewhere to be. Just a stolen moment between them. Never laid down in a bed, fully naked with each other to just explore and worship their bodies. He came up with excuse after excuse and she wasn’t about to push him. Quickies could satisfy her until he was ready to give more.

That ended now though. With her swinging her legs back and forth on the edge of the bed, naked and waiting. Humming, picking at the threads on Jacob’s tattered blankets.

He was moving constantly. Saying he had to get things set up. It was always excuses wasn’t it? Even now seconds before they were about to fuck.

“Jacob.”

“Yeah?” He rushed by her to fiddle with the curtains for the tenth time.

“Sit.” She patted the empty space next to her. “You’re making me nervous.”

Jacob hesitated. Muscles rolling with unused energy under his layers of clothing. When he did turn around she caught the briefest glance at the expression he wore. He looked scared. Like he was about to throw up. Her hand came up to lay across his cheek. “You look pale.” Jacob snorted and pulled her into his lap, pressing a kiss to her neck that had her squirming.

He let his hands wander, slowly trailing down. She went to straddle him, rolling her hips into him and frowning. “You’re not even hard Jake. What? Can’t get it up for me anymore?” The silence was deafening. “Did I say something wrong?” Rook tipped her head, reaching out to rest her head on his shoulder.

“Nah pup. You’re fine.” His voice was too tight. “Lie on your stomach. Wanna take you like an animal.” As flattering as that was, the mental image bouncing around and making her mind short circuit, she shook her head and stopped his progress as he tried to flip her over.

“No way. I want to see you the first time we do this the proper way. I want to see my husband.” It was a small request. One that she thought wouldn’t be met with so much resistance.

“You sure? You really wanna see this?” The way he grimaced when he said it had her heart racing in panic. “No one ever wants to see all I’ve got, not too keen on showing anyone either.” He was talking to himself, rambling as she sat back and stared.

“Do you think I care about your scars?”

“You’d be disgusted. They aren’t too pretty.”

She raised a single finger to trace the marks along his cheeks. He’s never had a problem with her touching those. Baring them like they were showing some sense of pride. He sighed contentedly as she touched him. “This is fine.”

“This is different.” Jacob grabbed her wrist, laying a kiss on her knuckles. “I don’t just have scars from the war. I told you how I protected my brothers. I’ve got a lot wrong under these clothes.”

There was so much pain on his face. As if he was reliving those moments. Taking a second to go over all the scars littered on his body. Trying to recount which ones she’d be able to see. Trying to picture how she’d react. Whatever he was doing up in his head, it all ended with a grimace.

“What if I keep my eyes closed at first. Just touch. We don’t need to rush this.” Rook laughed to ease some tension in the room. Did a little victory lap in her head when she saw his shoulders droop when she neared him to place a kiss on the bridge of his nose. “We’ve got the rest of our lives.”

He let out an audible breath of relief, going as far as to reach out and grab a blindfold. An obvious sex thing that she wished could be used under different circumstances. He helped her tie it on. Holding her close to his chest one last time before she heard him shift around to get undressed. It felt too much like a goodbye hug.

“Okay,” he took her hands in his, steadying his breaths before he guided them to his chest. “Go wild pup.”

Rook kept her hands flat against him as she rubbed up and down. Touching the sparse amount of hair that was scattered around. She could imagine the burns destroyed the hair growth. Not that she minded, god, she needed him to understand that. Her hands strayed lower, over his abdomen. Felt scars, raised and long. Probably from his childhood. Given to him by his father. The thought had her leaning forward out of instinct to lay a kiss to his chest. Nuzzling into his neck right after.

She felt him shiver, a tremble running down his spine. “Can I see Jake?”

His response was to take off the blindfold, tossing it to the floor. Not looking at her. His fists were curled up tight in his lap, looking like he wanted to jump out of his skin.

It was bad. Marred flesh that was disfigured. The mottled skin on his shoulders looked similar to his face. Red blotches danced across his stomach and along his side, over his ribs. The burns didn’t give her pause, didn’t make her wince. It was the scars given to him when he was just a kid. They looked painful. Made by a belt buckle and a whip from the looks of it. Tearing him open and not healing properly.

When Rook stood she noticed how he curled in on himself. That he turned his head away. Her hand found his shoulder and squeezed. “I’m not leaving Jacob. Just wanna see your back.” He let out a huff of air. Nodding once. Still not looking at her.

His back was worse off. Scars from knives and bullets that seemed newer. From his time in Eden’s Gate. “You don’t have any sins cut into you.”

He chuckled gruffly, glancing over his shoulder at her. “Maybe I’m just a saint.”

Rook rolled her eyes, placing a kiss behind his ear. “Why don’t I believe that?” More kisses trailing up the side of his head before she ruffled his hair. “But really,” she pulled away to smooth her hands down his back. “Why not?”

“Always refused. Didn’t need words in my skin. Didn’t think it was necessary for confession or that atonement bullshit. I was already fucked up. Didn’t need anymore scars. I’m already a mess.”

She nodded, wondering how well that went over with his family. “You act as if you look like a monster.”

“Don’t I?”

The burns on his back were more extensive. Making the skin bumpy and uneven. Changing color, making the skin different shades of pink.

“I don’t think so. But if that’s the kinda reputation you want.” She went to his front, holding up her hands in a form of surrender. “Go for it.” Another kiss was placed on his neck as she collapsed down onto the mattress. “Fucking perfect for me.” She held his face in a tight grip.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” He bundled her up in his arms, slowly pushing her onto her back to lie down. “I’m guessing you wanna get on with this.”

“Yes.” She groaned the words, bucking up into him. “Finally.”

“Eager huh?” He kept her pinned with one hand on her throat, the other moving to take off his pants. Suddenly his confidence was coming back. She saw it in that easy smile he tossed her behind the long curl in his hair. “Look at you.” His jeans and underwear were thrown somewhere, landing with a dull thud on the floor. His thumb shoved into her mouth. Letting her taste the buildup of salt and dirt. “How bout…” He seemed lost in thought before grabbing her and letting her land on top of him.

He wasted no time shoving his cock in her. Fisting his hand in her hair, tugging their lips together. Jacob was doing all the work. Thrusting his hips up brutally. Keeping their chests smashed together.

“Jacob. Can I see you. Please, wanna touch you.” From where his fist was tangled in her hair he pulled her up so they could lock eyes. He craned his neck up to suck her nipples. Biting roughly.

He pulled out of her to toss her down on her back, making her sprawl out with wide legs, opening up to him as he slid his cock up and down her slit. Teasing at her clit. He pushed into her, watching his thickness get swallowed by her walls.

She whined into him when he grabbed her, bringing her to his chest and pounding out at a fast rhythm. “How’re we doing honey? Not too rough? Can you still handle me?”

“Cocky.” Rook mumbled the words as she bit into his skin. Nipping to form a bruise.

Jacob grabbed one of her legs, shoving it up towards her chest to get more leverage. Finding a new angle that made her scream. “Think I’ve got a reason to be Kitten when you mewl for me like that.”

His hand dropped down to rub at her clit. Moving fast and not stopping as her voice rose in pitch. Chanting his name like it was the only thing she knew.

She came as his cock brushed against her cervix. Making her squirm and kick her legs as he changed position again. Rolling them on their side, hefting her leg up to have better access to her dripping pussy. His hands caged her in, drawing patterns on her spine and squeezing the flesh on her thigh. His pace began to falter, going fast and making the her ass bounce.

He finished off inside her with a broken groan. Burying his face in the crook of her neck.

“So good to me pup. So fucking good.”


	12. Don’t Let The Water In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob and Rook collapse from exhaustion after fighting, some stargazing ensues and Rook starts cuddling with Jacob. Some serious/personal talk starts going

Rook got the air knocked out of her, pinned against Jacob’s weight as he pushed her spine further into the bark of a tree. Forearm over her neck, crushing her windpipe. Making her instincts kick in and claw at anywhere she could reach. Dragging bloody red lines down the side of his face, feet kicking out to knock at his shins. It was useless. She was nothing more than a mosquito to him.

Nonetheless he still let her go, took a few steps back as he took in heaving breaths.

Her hand shot out over her heart, cringing at how slick she was with sweat. They’d been going at it for way too long. Jacob was just playing around. Toying with his meat. But it was taking a toll on him too. The sun wasn’t out, not even close. Stars dotted the sky in an abstract work of art. That didn’t mean they weren’t tired though. That giving up seemed like the best course of action.

She knew Jacob, knew he wouldn’t stop until she was down, a writhing mess for him. So despite what he may think of her, she flopped to the ground. Totally foregoing the step where she should’ve collapsed on her knees first. Simply tumbled onto her back, ignoring the pangs of pain that ran through her body. If she was lucky her ribs were only bruised and not broken, but Jacob’s hits landed hard.

Her hand held onto her side as she gazed up through heavy lidded eyes. Thankful for the soft breeze that was blowing by them. The only thing to listen to before he blissed her up and hauled her away was his ragged breaths. He sounded as bad as she felt. Though if she somehow mustered up the energy to crane her neck around she’d see him looking tuckered out. The scratches she left on him already faded, but his heart was pounding the same as hers. Making his gait slower as he closed the distance between them. Folding his legs under him as he collapsed down next to her, heaving in air with sharp eyes turned on her. Watching how she squirmed, trying to keep her gaze on the growing amount of stars above them and not on the man who almost choked the life out of her.

“Something bothering you dep? Something on your mind?”

So much: that's what her expression said as her lips twisted and she shifted her muscles, scooting away from him ever so slightly even if her ribs protested.

“I asked you a question.”

This time she closed her eyes. As if that alone would shut him up and not make him more persistent. “What're you doing?” She let her head tip over to the side so she could look at him. At his calm posture, leaning back on his elbows, legs stretching out. He frowned at her question, chewing on his lip, mulling it around his mind. “Jacob—“

“I heard ya.” He flipped his hand in annoyance at her, suddenly pressing his fingers on his neck. Finding his thrumming pulse in an instant. “Tired though, and you just kinda gave out on me. And I gotta be honest, not much fun playing around with you if you let me win.” The admission had her raising up on her elbows, leaning in closer to check his face. As if she was better at reading him than he was at hiding his emotions.

“Is this a game to you?” She kept the rage out of her voice. No room for that nonsense when Jacob was oddly pliant, looking somewhat bored and content at the same time, sitting next to her without the smugness that usually coated his features.

“More like training. You give me a run for my money. Make me work for it, it’s nice to finally have a worthy opponent. Someone who isn't scared.” Then holding up his hand to stop her as she opened her mouth, “Or maybe you're just stupid.” He tossed her a smile. Was he teasing her?

“Maybe a bit of both.” Any other day, any other person and she would’ve gone off on him. Gotten in his face and bare her teeth like a wild animal, after all she's accomplished he had no right calling her stupid. But this wasn't any other day. Not when she was tired and broken and she knew how this night was going to end. On the cold ground in a metal cage surrounded by the moans of the dying and the never ending barking of his Judges. She was sure she could push her luck, act normal for once instead of being on the defensive. Just close her eyes and bite the bullet on this encounter with Jacob, who didn't seem to be faking the whole tiredness. It clung to him. Set deep in his eyes and showed a fatigue and tightness in his muscles that was hard to disguise. The sudden twinge of sympathy that shook through her was reserved for those being terrorized by Eden’s Gate, not this soldier. Yet those instincts were kicking in with how he winced at every small movement as he eased himself to lie fully on his back. Arm tossed over his eyes, the other one under his head as some sorry form of support for his neck.

If he questioned her she could blame her own injuries making her mind dull.

Rook moved quick and silent, something she’s gotten pretty good at. Sidling up to Jacob like she’s done it hundreds of times before. Resting her head on his broad chest, fitting up snugly against him and somehow managing not to flinch when he let out a gruff laugh. “Deputy…”

“Shut up Jacob.” Her cheeks warmed as he raised his head minutely to glance at her in the semi darkness. To his credit though he did keep his mouth shut. She ignored his stupid smile, the one that made him seem suddenly way too happy about this turn of events. Like this proved something.

“You just keep surprising me, huh pup? Maybe Joseph was right about you.” He mused, eyes fluttering around the constellations above them.

“What did Joseph say about me?” She knew the man didn’t want her dead. She also knew that she wasn’t that good of a deputy, that if Eden’s Gate wanted her to six feet under it would’ve happened by now. “Good things I hope.”

“I’m not about to stroke your ego.”

Rook tensed. Craning her neck up to look at him. Just catching the view of his fiery untamed beard. “Nothing’s wrong with my ego.” She whispered, hand coming to curl in his grey shirt.

“Christ pup, you sound like someone shit in your cornflakes. That’s all it take to break you?”

“You don’t—“ she cleared her throat. Squirming uncomfortably when his arm wrapped around her, trapping her in. Letting her know that this conversation was definitely happening. “You can’t just say things like that y’know?” She heard him snort. Either from disbelief or annoyance. She kept going though, took off her filter for a second and let her tears catch in the cotton of his clothes.

“What? Mommy and daddy never told you that you were good enough?” A sob caught in her throat, one she tried to disguise as a cough. It was enough of an answer. “Ah.” His large paw ran down her spine. Blowing out through his nose and cringing.

“Jacob. Can I ask you a question?”

He shifted. Mind buzzing around. He didn’t like where this was going, how she was delving into her past and digging up her emotions in the night between them like he consented to this. As if he signed up for this when he sat down out of pure exhaustion.

“Did you know,” Rook sniffed too loudly, making her wince as she barreled on when he didn’t say anything. “If you’re drowning, even if you don’t want to, no matter how hard you try, your body forces you to breath. To open your mouth and take in air that’s not even there.” She huffed lightly, focusing on the stars and not the man who was watching her so closely. Wondering where she was going with this. “Humans have this instinct to not let water in, to not drown. And that instinct is just so fucking strong that you won’t open your mouth until the last second. Until you just can’t do it anymore and your head is pounding, feeling like it’s gonna explode and like your eyes are just gonna pop right out.”

Jacob’s hand moved to her hair, petting it out of the way, curling it behind her ear to get a better look at her. “Then,” she glanced up at him, flushing when their eyes connected. Dropping them once more in favor for staring at the intricacies on his dog chain. “When you let the water in, give in to your base instincts, it stops hurting.”

“You doing alright dep?” There was an air of hesitance. A fear of her reaction and the stupidity of such a question after what she just said, after she took a moment to reveal her inner thoughts.

Rook snorted. Deigning to answer him. “I’m fine.” She found the moon, tilting her head to look at the fading circle in the sky, the lack of trees letting the natural light shine on them. “I’m doing perfectly fine. Aside from the lack of sleep. How jumpy I always am.” Her eyes strained to pick out the irregularities in the moon. “I’m fine besides this constant fear that consumes me and makes my brain scream that something utterly terrible is right around the corner, about to happen to me.” She laughed coldly. Finally catching Jacob’s eyes and keeping their gazes locked. “I feel like I’m going fucking crazy.”

“It’s called hypervigilance.” He reached out to grab her jaw in a soft hold. One that she could easily break. “You’re not crazy. It’s a real thing. A real feeling.” He cleared his throat, shoulders tense. “It’s the feeling that you’re always under threat, that you’ve gotta be aware, on guard.” She caught his words, took them in and how he sounded like he was speaking from experience.

“It’s like a panic attack that never ends. You can’t breathe—“

“Like you’re drowning?” He posed it like a question. But they both understood that he already knew the answer, that there was no reason to ask it.

She responded anyway. To appease him, to keep up this facade that this talk was one sided. Only meant to fix her mental state that had spilled out between them. “Exactly like that.”

“Can I ask you a question now?”

Rook hummed low in her throat. Not bothering to hide her surprise when he was the one to look away into the forest, into the darkness beyond them.

“If I got this right, you’re drowning. And your trying so damn hard to keep your mouth closed until that very last moment before your body betrays you and gives in...what if you just,” he sighed like this was an impossible task. “What if you just keep your mouth closed? Can’t you make that decision?” He sounded exasperated. For a second she forgot who was trying to convince who.

“Jacob. It’s a reflex. Something you can’t fight, it happens without your say so.”

“I know. Trust me, I know.” He let his eyes drift down to her again. “But what if you hold out a little bit longer before your instincts, your reflex, gets the better of you? You would have more time.” He stressed the words, hands balling into tight fists.

“Not much time.” Rook snorted, shaking her head.

“For fucks sake dep!” He nudged her off of him, getting on his knees and holding her shoulders tightly as she sat in front of him. “You’d at least have more time to fight your way to the surface.”

“You aren’t listening.” She leaned into his grasp so she could see his eyes, his pupils were blown wide with anger. Rook ignored his rage, found she wasn’t that scared of it. “You’d have more time to be in pain. To hurt, because not breathing hurts. Remember the whole head exploding part? Are we talking about the same shit?”

“I’m listening loud and clear.” His voice was lowered between the two of them. Sharp gaze cutting into her. “If it’s about survival, if it’s between life and death then sometimes pain is worth it. It’s unavoidable. It comes along with the package. If you’re not in pain when you’re alive then you’re not fucking living. There’s no way around it.”

“It gets worse though doesn’t it? Life gets worse, the pain gets worse. Unbearable.”

Jacob opened his mouth, brows knitted downward as he yanked her closer. Before he could speak she surprised both of them. Clapped her hand over his mouth to stop him. “It could be absolute, never ending pain right now in this moment...and just hell later on. That doesn’t seem worth it to me.”

His face twisted into something awful. Looking like he was ready to break down at whatever she said next. He reached up, grabbing her wrist and tugging it in her lap. Holding onto her hand tightly and giving her a small smile. Too saddened and defeated for a man like Jacob. “You’re young pup. So I could sit here and tell you it gets better. That this fight, this struggle you’re going through, that’s all gonna pay off one day. But my life hasn’t been easy. Has gotten so much worse than I ever imagined. Each day can be hell. And sure,” he shrugged, “there are some moments that make it all okay. That make living through the bad times a perfect sacrifice.”

“But other times—“

“Other times the good moments are so few and far between that you wonder if you should give up. Give in and just quit trying. The urge is strong some days.”

“Then why keep fighting?”

“You need to find someone to cling to. Someone to protect or watch out for that makes you wanna live. Or some cause that you follow blindly until it gets you killed. You find something that makes getting up each day easier.”

“And until then? Until I’ve got someone or something to live for?”

“Don’t think ahead. Don’t think about tomorrow because that shit will destroy you. You wake up, roll over, or hell, just lie there and think ‘today’s another day. How will I survive?’ One day at a time Deputy. If you do that eventually something will come along. Until then just don’t die, don’t fall prey to those thoughts. Don’t be one of the people who give up and can’t wait any longer. You need to stay on track, keep your head down and focus on you. Just keep your mouth closed.”

When her eyes found him it was with a cold empty stare. Like she was looking through him. Her words were whispered, almost getting lost in the subtle breeze. “Don’t let the water in.”


	13. Courtship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob wrestling Cheeseburger in an act of winning over the deputy's affection

Jacob never really understood the relationship Rook had with her animals. She ordered them around like she’s known them for ages, raised them from small litters. It was impressive, the bond she had with them. Unbreaking and loyal.

He’s never seen someone so comfortable around wild animals as her. She was simply sitting on the floor, hugging a large bear as if he didn’t have the strength to tear her apart like he’s done to so many before. Her hands were roving across the bear’s fur. Letting him bury his head in her neck and lick up the side of her face. It was fucking dangerous. Made Jacob nervous, jumpy. That’s why he tossed down the papers he was working on to cross the room of his office. Cringing at the dirt marks the damn animal brought in.

“Be careful with that thing.” He tossed himself down next to her. Scowling even after she cupped one of his cheeks and drew him close to her side.

“Cheeseburger would never hurt me.” Rook laid a kiss on his lips, sighing in contentment. “Besides, I’d argue you’re just as dangerous, and I’ve dealt with you just fine in the past.”

“Oh is that right Kitten?” Jacob moved to cage her in with his arms, straddling her, moving in to attack her neck. His hand snuck up to push her shirt to the side, exposing her ribs as he sucked bruises into her neck. Only to be shoved out of the way by a large bear, his snout pushing Jacob, huge paws swatting at him until he rolled away from Rook.

Jacob sat back. Watched the deputy hold in her giggles as she scratched Cheeseburger and preened praises at him. Was he just cockblocked by a fucking bear?

“So that’s how it’s gonna be?” His question was answered when he moved to touch the deputy, only to have the large animal advance towards him. Taking a small step closer.

“Boys, boys. Calm down.”

“No, it’s fine Dep, I think there’s one way to settle this. I’m just gonna have to fight for you.”

“Jacob.” It was a warning tone. Her hands were holding lightly onto cheeseburgers collar, eyes wide when looking at him. “You’re not an animal. This isn’t the goddamn Stone Age.”

But Jacob wasn’t listening. Not in the slightest. He was far too busy circling Cheeseburger, ready to grapple him. The stupid bear thought this was a game, and was all too eager to play. Especially when Rook shut these kind of things down real quick. Being crushed under 200 pounds of solid muscle wasn't her idea of fun. Jacob was smiling wide though. Shooting her glances as if to check if she was still watching this unfold in front of her. She wasn't about to look away, not when one of Cheeseburger’s claws could send him flying into the back wall. Not that he ever would hurt Jacob, but he was just an animal who didn’t realize his own strength could kill those he loved.

Her murmured words of ‘Careful’ went unheard as Jacob tossed himself at her bear. Tipping his head down so when Cheeseburger opened his maw he caught the soldier around the collar. Getting a playful nip around the back of the neck and a quick shake. Something resembling a mama bear admonishing a cub. It was almost cute how fast Jacob went down. Being brought to his knees by something he must've known he wouldn't be stronger than. He was on his stomach, going to push himself up when a hefty paw went to keep him in place. Pushing down on his spine with little force, just enough to make sure he couldn't get back up. That’s when both sets of eyes turned on her. Large baby blues that appeared angry, they offset the much larger brown ones that reflected loyalty. And a question: Should he get off Jacob? It was her call, the bear would listen to whatever she said.

“Deputy.” Stern tone as he rose his eyebrows. Fixing his face into a serious mask. “Remember who you belong to here. Tell him to get off.”

She frowned, slowly standing, navigating to make sure Jacob couldn't reach out and pull her to his level. “Don't know Jake. That'd be wrong, me manipulating the situation like that. Looks like Cheeseburger won fair and square.” Even though he couldn't see her he could hear the smile in her voice. Legs kicking out in a rare show of childish anger.

“I get that dep. I can admit to my losses. Now get him off.”

“And if I don’t?” Rook reached over to give Cheeseburger some head pats. Cooing at him sweetly.

“You really wanna find out?”

No. No she really didn't. “Cheeseburger.” His ears perked up as she pulled away. “Down.” Soon enough Jacob was secured beneath the weight of a 200 pound bear. Trapped. Utterly stuck as he growled out her name when she crept into view. Hands behind her back. Head tipped down as her hair acted the part of a veil, keeping her smile concealed.

“Can’t really punish me when you're like that Jacob.” She turned on her heel, feeling way too smug with the punishment that was bound to come her way in a few hours when he would track her down. For now, she had a few hours to herself.


	14. Assault (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob comes across the deputy being assaulted and saves her

He didn’t know what he expected when he heard the awful screams that the mountains carried so well. When he set off in that direction he figured he’d be lucky enough to catch the tail end of someone getting culled. Maybe he’d get there fast enough to be able to praise his men. He wasn’t stupid, he saw how people reacted when he was there to personally say good job. An ‘atta boy’ from the soldier himself was always great for morale.

As hardened as people made him out to be, he enjoyed telling people they succeeded in living up to his expectations. It keeps some of them going. That’s why he put a little pep in his step as he followed the disturbed cries. It was a little suspect, that whoever they found hadn’t been silenced. Killed. Jacob had one rule. They don’t play with their prey, their meat. It’s wrong and sick if it’s for sport. There needs to be a good reason for it. Information, or when he made people stronger in the cages.

So when he saw two of his men hanging over someone, pinning said person down, he got angry. Let his face fall into a characteristic scowl as he watched from the overgrown trees. Pulling out a pair of binoculars to get a better view.

His muscles tensed when he recognized the woman who was putting up a good fight for someone who was so obviously blissed out of their mind. The deputy. His little lamb. Hands held above her head as the other man took out his rage on her with a baseball bat. Her own baseball bat, he remembered the dark wood of the old weapon that she’s carted around since she stepped into Hope County.

He tossed the bat down and dropped to straddle her face, to unbuckle his belt and…

Jacob’s jaw twitched under his beard. She may be a thorn in his side. The woman who’s been trying to destroy the project. But this was a punishable act by death in Eden’s Gate. Sex was wrong. Rape, that was a whole other ball game that John and Joseph were more than happy to deal with. They each had their own ways to treat scum like that. And Jacob definitely had his. He’s encountered it before. It was a sinful, ruinous act. One that he was going to handle accordingly.

He didn’t make himself known. No need to ask for their side of the story. Not when he’s seen all that he needed to. He had no problem being judge, jury and executioner. There wasn’t anything they could say to make this better. Not when one of his own had his cock shoved down the deputy’s throat. Uncaring that she was making god awful noises that sounded like she couldn’t catch her breath. Choking on the unwanted intrusion.

Jacob snapped the neck of the man who was holding her down, giving her the use of her arms back. The dull thud of his body dropping made the second one falter for a second. Looking up and having an expression full of terror. Jacob pulled out his pistol and shot him point blank in the skull. He stood back, let Rook shove his limp, dead body to the side.

She was still under the heavy influence of the bliss. Staggering to stand, only to fall on her knees a second later. A sob rising from her throat as she emptied her stomach. Clawing at her bag, searching for something as she gagged.

It was pitiful. Made his heart ache. No matter how bad of a person he thought she was, no one deserved that.

“Here.” Jacob was crouched down, holding out a canteen full of water to her. Waiting patiently as she turned around slowly. Bliss making the world come out all wrong. Crawling towards him like an abused animal. Taking the water after a moment's hesitation and chugging it. Spitting up half of the liquid into the dirt to get the sour taste of that man out of her mouth.

“Jacob.” The canteen was tossed back at him. Though that wasn’t his focus. “They—they were…” her words were garbled, choked off.

“I know.” He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. Sighing when she flinched. “Shush Deputy.”

But she only shook her head, crawling the rest of the way towards him. Slotting herself in his arms. Letting him wrap her up. Her mind was foggy, making himself seem so safe even if she’s been selected to kill him. “You don’t know. You don’t. They’ve been following me, tracking me for weeks. I thought I shook them, or that they lost interest. I was hoping they gave up.” She laughed miserably. “Guess not. Guess I’m not strong. I’m waiting for you to say that, to give me a lecture on how I should’ve been culled.” Rook’s head rested on his shoulder. Eyes closed. “I’m not stupid. I know you only stepped in because Joseph doesn’t want me dead.”

He winced when she threw his own words back at him. Used in the wrong context.

“I stepped in because what he did was wrong. Fuck, it makes me sick to think…” he snarled angrily. Hand coming up to rub at his eyes. Sharing a tired glance with her. How she was curled up in his arms looking so small and lost. “I won’t let anyone hurt you like that. You gotta understand.” Rook glanced up at him, a smile forming on her lips that was so subtle. A mere upturn of the corner of her mouth.

“You were scared.”

A vein pulsed in his neck. Jumping out and making her wonder if she pushed him a little too far. “I was Pup. Not gonna let that shit happen again. You’re coming home with me. End of discussion, thought you’d know when to come by yourself, it’s too dangerous now. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”


	15. Innocence (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob falls for an innocent, sweet girl belonging to Eden’s Gate. He finds her in the forest and leads her to a cabin where he takes care of her and ends the night properly claiming her

Nothing in Jacob’s life was soft or kind or sweet. Nobody gave him a second glance out of adoration. Only fear. And he didn’t need anything else. Went day by day walking with his chin raised and shoulders reared back in a show of power. That’s how things went. New followers trickling in, greeting the Seeds and averting their eyes when they got to him as a show of submission and respect.

The pure things in his life were always tarnished some way. That’s why he strayed from the newest batch of their flock. All young things that wouldn’t be fit for his army. Despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to use any of them to further his goal, he was enraptured by one of them. How she seemed to float on the ground as she walked. An air of innocence that especially stood out when they were in the same room. She had a look on her face that told the world she was truly happy to be alive. With how she approached small animals or treated the children like they were her own. Jacob didn't much care for how Joseph caught him staring at her on too many occasions.

She had a strange pull about her. One that set off Jacob’s primal instincts, the ones that told him to protect her, to nurture her. Someone that looked weak and he wanted to preserve her. It was crazy. Too against the grain for Jacob to process the onslaught of emotions that made him produce the softest of smiles when she bounded up the pews to speak to one of the Seeds directly. Eyes always bugging wide with excitement and curiosity for the world around her. Any other time, any other person, and Jacob would have crushed their dreams right there. Set their mind straight and tell them they needed to toughen up. That they were too soft. But doing that to her would be like tearing the wings off a butterfly.

So he kept his distance just in case he let something slip.

A week later that whole idea fell to shambles around him. Like God Himself has tuned in to Jacob’s thoughts and decided to throw a wrench into his plans. That's what Joseph would tell him if he were here with Jacob, standing next to him with a hand on his shoulder and whispering in his ear. Telling him to make a move, that this was written in whatever story had been laid out from the beginning as an inescapable fate.

With a sigh and one more quick glance around the dense forest that surrounded him, he trekked forward like he owned the woodlands. And with the way things were shaping out for Eden’s Gate he suppose he did. At least he had that going for him.

“You lost?” He recognized the girl instantly. Saw the flash of long hair tied up with that faded red bandana she always wore. Though her clothes were so very different from what she usually wore to church. Something that he knew John would have a hard time ogling her in.

Her back was towards him. And honestly, he wasn’t denying the view. Not at all, he didn’t mind basking in ‘sin.’ He wasn’t his brothers. Seeing her in the jean shorts she had on where her cheeks were spilling out, Jacob had to dig his nails into his palm as a reminder to not stare. The tank top she had on was absolutely covered in blood, and his first question would’ve been if she was alright, but from the wolf lying dead on the ground he wasn’t too worried. And that sparked something strange in his stomach as she turned around to face him, confusion rippling across her face. The innocence he saw there didn’t match the situation at all. Or the fact that her tank top wasn’t holding her in all that well. Showing off a red lacy thing that had his pants grow a little bit tighter.

It was perfect. Jacob wanted it, wanted her. He was one for the chase, and didn’t at all mind this one.

“No, no I’m not lost.” She swallowed thickly. Glancing down at her ruined clothes. At the clumps of blood splattering her exposed thighs. If he hated what he saw he might’ve asked why she decided to wear jean shorts to go hunting, but he wasn’t about to discourage it. “You’re not mad are you?”

“Mad? No, no ‘course not.” He kept his stroll easy. Let his eyes wander behind her to the dead wolf, not one of his judges. “Not when you’ve done such a brilliant job here.” His hand reached out to grab onto her bare shoulder, spinning her around, yanking her back to his chest so they were facing the wolf. “Good girl.”

He heard the inhalation of breath she let out. How it was unsteady. Glad they were on the same page.

“I could help y’know, we could cover each other if you were gonna keep going. I think you need my help. Need to teach you not to get so messy.” Jacob wrapped his palm around her throat, a gentle cradle that forced her head back until he could look down at her. “God look at you. So dirty.” The words had the intended effected. Caused a shiver to run down her spine, which made her hips sway against his subtly.

“You know what,” he stepped back, holding in a laugh when she stumbled slightly from the lack of his body holding her up. “Think we gotta get you cleaned up first. Won’t be able to hunt anything when they can smell ya for miles.” He bent to pick up a stray machete doused with blood, not bothering to hand it to her when she instinctively reached out. Instead he turned to walk away, it’d give her a reason to follow. Or some sort of excuse if she didn’t want to admit that she was simply tagging along to be close to him.

He knew these woods well. Had it all mapped out in his head on where to take her. And that thought alone sent a thrill through his spine. Made him nip down on his lip for a second to stop himself from smiling at how perfectly things were working out. How he could already imagine having her under him, right where she belonged.

“Sir?”

He cocked an eyebrow at the title, not totally displeased. She was apart of Eden’s Gate, grew up knowing the hard soldier he was, hearing his teachings and treating them like law. At least she had some brains in her, knew respect. He’d tolerate ‘sir’ for now.

“Do you have a place out here? In the mountains?” His hand hadn’t strayed from the small of her back. Keeping her into step next to him, forcing her to walk briskly as his longer legs ate up the terrain in front of them.

“I do. Private place just to get away from it all.” Jacob sent her a smile. One that was strained, worry wrinkling his eyes. He just had to have her. This night wouldn’t be right if he sent her on her way. It was a lot of pressure, especially when he wasn’t one who was used to failure.

The girl, whose name he didn’t even know, Christ what was he doing? She jogged ahead to marvel at his cabin. Not huge or glamourous by any stretch of the imagination, yet the way she acted made his chest swell with pride. Some sort of alpha instincts cut into his core as he ushered her inside. Needing to show off to his mate, to provide for her. “This'll be good enough for ya, yeah?”

He watched her intently as she took in the interior. Eyes wide and neck craning. Checking out the sparse amount of pictures of his family and the animals pinned to the wall that had been mounted. “It’s great sir.” She spun on her heel, a light sigh falling from her lips at how close he had gotten to her. She bent her head down, hands clasped in front of her. “May I wash up?” Her cheeks were pink, eyes darting around the wood floor. So shy. So innocent. Fuck, he was so okay with ruining that.

The thought of her in his personal space. Using his towels and hopefully wearing his clothes in his bed by the end of the night made him heat up inside. He jerked his head down the corridor where she should go. Keeping his eyes on her the entire time, watching her cheeks sway way more than she had done earlier. The little minx, she had to be doing it on purpose.

Jacob steeled himself, taking in a deep breath and tossing the machete on the counter, cracking his knuckles in preparation. It’d been a while since he had to court someone, flirting was more John’s thing. And he wasn’t going to get her by just standing there, cooking some dinner and acting like a gentleman, that was Joseph’s style.

And he wasn’t anything like his family, not in the slightest. He chuckled gently as he made his way over to where he heard water running in the bathroom.

“Scared little lamb?” No, not at all like his siblings. Not when screwing with her head was his idea to get her undressed.

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice coming from the doorway. He saw her swallow fiercely before raising her chin a tad bit higher, some mixture of respect and wanting to show her strength. “Do I need to be sir?”

Jacob kept his face blank, sighing at the title she kept on using. He hummed softly, tapping out a beat on the wood of the door, keeping a close eye on her as she scrubbed her arms down. Gritting her teeth as she turned the water red. “Of course not, I keep people safe. I—“

“I’ve heard all about you…” she bit the inside of her cheek. Eyes catching his, “Jacob.” She flushed the same color as the flecks of blood that stained her clothes. “You’ve got quite the reputation.”

“Did you like what you heard?” At his question her hand paused to where the rag was, held at her cheek to wash more blood off. Her shoulders rolled nervously, working out the stiff muscles.

Her head tipped down, turning her neck to the side to expose the small cuts there.

“Kitten. Look at me. Answer my question.” 

He swore he could see the small smile that formed when she glanced up at him from her spot at the sink. He could fix up her mindset, show her that when he asked a question he wanted his soldiers to respond. In his head the hunt was already won, she was his and she needed to learn that real quick. That’s what made him take easy strides forward. Reaching out with a scarred arm to take hold of her chin. Tilting it up and towards him.

Her eyes weren’t directly on him, focused on a dark knot in the wood behind him. Bottom lip bitten in a rough grip that looked painful.

“Eyes. Right here, on me.” She smiled at the dark tone of his voice.

Fucking smiled.

Jacob, the soldier, the hunter, the man who people feared; he was looming over her, moving to trap her body against the porcelain sink and she was smiling. She was too sweet for him, too jovial to be ruined.

“C’mon,” his other hand went to cup the back of her neck, rubbing her smooth skin that was now cleared of any dirt. “Let me see those eyes.” It wasn’t his best line, wouldn’t get anyone’s attention in the way he was looking for and he knew it. He also knew what kind of girl he was dealing with. And him just showing an ounce of interest in her seemed to set her cheeks ablaze. Eyes flicking up to meet his without a second thought once the words slipped past his lips. “Good girl.” Jacob mumbled, bending down to whisper it in her ear. Letting his beard scrape her skin. He pretended not to notice the shudder that ran through her.

“How about we get you cleaned up?” His voice remained hushed. Quiet and just for them. Even if there was no one for miles around.

One hand braced on her hip, minutely shoving her shirt up to expose her navel. Something that she didn’t correct him for.

He set to work rubbing her skin with the sodden rag. Going much more gently than he ever would for washing someone. But he was so close to making her fully his and he wasn’t about to let a small slip up like being too rough ruin whatever fantasy was playing out in his head.

Jacob went slow. Leaning in close enough to see the small goosebumps that soon rose over her body. He didn’t harden is gaze when their eyes locked. Just tossed her a half smile that showed he knew what he was doing to her. Each move was calculated, especially when he slammed down on his knees, one thick arm behind her back to keep her from going anywhere. “You cold honey?” His lips brushed her navel when he said it, smiling when she jumped from the baritone sound of his voice.

“N-no.”

“No?” He pressed his cheek on her exposed stomach, making an obvious effort to keep her shirt pushed up. His eyes met her and he delighted to see her flush again. “You’re squirming around, getting goosebumps,” a hand reached down to run over her thigh for emphasis, “and you keep rubbing your legs together.”

“I’m fine sir.” Great, they were back to that.

He grunted low in his throat. Tossing the rag in the sink behind her and grabbing onto her hips with both his hand. “So if you’re not cold, then what’s got you all bothered?” Jacob was toying with her, and it was rude. He knew this, knew that she was a kind girl that didn’t deserve such harassment, but he so badly wanted to hear her admit that she lusted after him the same way he did for her. “You’ve gone all shy, huh Kitten?”

He stood at his full height, letting her shirt drop down to cover her body. Shrugging like her lack of words didn’t bother him. “Too bad. That’s too fucking bad.”

Once again he walked away with no further instructions. Hoping that she would follow, pushing at his insecurities that screamed she didn’t want him despite the reactions he was getting.

He hummed under his breath in delight when he heard her soft footsteps a beat behind his.

Jacob slowed himself down as they neared the main room, complete with a table that seemed just tall enough for him to fuck around on. She was trusting, trusting enough for her to not flinch when he grabbed her and pushed her against the wooden table.

He was so much larger than her, covering his body with her smaller frame. She was all wide eyes and dainty features. He saw the puzzle pieces click into place in her mind. As if she was just understanding what his intentions were.

He pushed her up and onto the table. Large hands moving to rip away her shirt. A flimsy piece of fabric that tore easily with his strength.

She squeaked. Head tipping down, he was quick to fix that, to crook a finger under her chin and bare her throat to him. Exposing skin that he could latch onto. Going in with scrapes of his teeth and making her squirm from the scratch of his beard. Making her flesh red and irritated.

Her hands came up to his shoulders. Full of hesitancy as she slid his jacket off. Going way too slow for Jacob’s style. He knew she could see the animal inside him, the part of him that wanted to place her on the floor with her ass up in the air. He paced himself, let himself explore with the same easy going pace that she had taken on.

“Sir…” She shuddered when he latched onto her inner thigh. Working her jeans off and sucking bruises on her skin. “The Father—“

“Isn’t here right now. Hope you’re not thinking of him.” He squeezed her flesh between his large hands. Kneading her skin and nuzzling his nose into the front of her panties. “Kinda a turn off thinking of my brother right now.” And she could tell if his flagged erection was anything to go by.

“He wouldn’t approve.”

“Joe’s not a saint.” Jacob had to resist rolling his eyes. Never could see his younger brother as some prophet or above the rest of them, someone to worship. He found it weird for him to be as devout as others, to hear people talk about Joseph like he himself was a god, it always rubbed him the wrong way.

“John wouldn’t agree with this either.” She panted out the words as he ripped off her panties with a little too much ferocity. Snarling as he tossed them on the floor. He took a step back to pull himself out. Sharp eyes flitting over her face.

“For fucks sake.” He kicked his jeans and underwear off to the side. Moving in close and caging her in. “Would you rather be with them?” Her mouth opened, skin suddenly beaded with sweat. “Do you wanna go back, go confess?” He captured her lips, biting down until he tasted blood. Fingers diving between them to rub up and down her slit, humming as he saw pleasure flash across her features.

“So?” The look he got was of utter confusion. As if just his fingers alone had already screwed with her mind. “What’s it gonna be Kitten?” He jammed two fingers inside her. Nipping at her jaw.

“You. Please sir—“

“Call me Jacob.” He chuckled in their shared space. Seeing her shiver at the sound. “Got me feeling too fucking old with all that ‘sir’ crap.” Besides, if things worked out like he hoped she’d belong to him. Wake up next to him day after day, they’d be long past formalities at that point.

His fingers came out with a wet squelching sound. Quickly replaced by the head of his thick cock. Pushing gently as he rubbed her slick over her thigh.

“Think you can take me?”

She nodded hastily. Eyes focused on where he was prodding at her. Tip resting at her entrance.

“You sure? With all that holier than thou shit Eden’s Gate has taught you,” he laughed again, grabbing her legs and hiking them over his shoulders, “Not expecting much.” And before she could rebuttal, “Impress me Kitten. Prove me wrong.”

He slipped inside her. Walls clamping down on him and sucking his cock deeper inside her. She was tight, almost too tight. Stealing Jacob’s breath away and putting him on edge from the first few gentle thrusts to get started.

“Aw,” he cooed at her like she truly was a kitten. One large arm across the small of her back and the other hand rubbing her cheek in small circles. “Would ya look at that.” He gaze tipped down to see his cock slip in and out of her. Covered in her juices. He shoved a finger in along with his cock, holding it up for her to see. “This all for me?”

She was just as breathless as he was. Could barely make sense of what he was saying with how good he was making her feel.

“Impressed?” She tried for levity. Tipping her head to the side and cupping his cheek. Going right back to being submissive when he dropped a hand to swirl around her clit.

“Doing good so far, let’s see how well you take my cum.” He slammed into her harder than he had before. Amping up the speed. “I don’t wanna see a single drop wasted you hear me?” He snarled the words in her ear. Biting down on the lobe.

“I want an answer soldier.” Another rough thrust and a sweep of his thumb to her nub. Making her jerk up into him. When she stayed silent save for her quiet curse words and panting breaths, “We gotta work on that. Make you speak like a good Pup.”

He rubbed her clit faster to hear some more of her tiny whines. Feeling her walls flutter around him. “At least you mewl so pretty for me.” She proved him right when she produced a high pitch whine. Nearing her end, squeezing around him. Tossing her arms around his neck and chanting his name.

He came soon after. Bucking into her until she was an oversensitive mess on his table.

“Looks like you’re not so pious then.” He tsked. Chuckling when he saw her cheeks heat up from embarrassment. Like he was actually reprimanding her. “What would _The Father_ think?”


	16. Argumentative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob and Rook get into a heated argument where Rook goes a little too far

“Go head, leave then if you don’t think I can do a good job.” It was a test. She knew it was. Beneath carefully cool words was an undercurrent of violence. Layers upon layers of insecurities that she patched up the best she could over time. “Don’t know what the fuck I did to make you mad this time, Lord knows it’s a new thing each week.” That wasn’t nearly true. They had their moments; soft touches and laughs shared between them. He knew that. And yet he’s guilting her into collapsing in his arms instead of walking away. Just saying fuck it and packing up.

“Don’t act like you’re surprised. Don’t act like you don’t know. How can you not? I almost died for fuck’s sake. I’m getting sick of it.” Rook waved her arms wildly to gesture to the scene playing out behind him. Where if he tossed another glance over his shoulder he’d see the smouldering ruins of Joseph’s compound. Another damn attack by a group of mercenaries trying to earn some rank on the totem pole. Gain some notoriety by knocking on Eden’s Gates door. It’s happened before, too many times in the past month, this one just hit a little too close to home. Left people dead, many injured. It was the last damn straw.

She took a couple steps towards him. Craning her neck up to stare at him with anger in her eyes. Hands balled into fists. “Do you know how hard I have it? How difficult it is to—“ he was on her when she let her eyes drift towards John, kneeling in the dirt and rubble that was once a beautifully painted house and looking on the verge of tears. Jacob was quick to pounce given the chance. Looming over her and baring his teeth.

“You think you’ve got it rough? The sacrifices I’ve made for you…” He clicked his tongue at her. Chastising. “You’re an ungrateful brat.” She saw a vein jump in his forehead. Tendons in his neck standing at attention.

Jacob snorted. Running a hand across his face in aggravation. There was still anger there. Despite how he lowered his voice between the two of them trying for calmness.

“What? You don’t believe me? All this shit I’ve had to deal with by standing by your side.” She jabbed a finger at his chest, moving around him to lean on his truck. Arms crossed over her chest. “I’m sick of the fact that after all you’ve promised, it tends to be damn lies. What happened to protection? That I wouldn’t have to fight, that shit where you took all my fucking weapons and stripped me of my soldier status. You made me vulnerable and dependent on you.”

He almost looked bored when he turned to follow her movements. Casting a quick glance around at the congregants of Eden’s Gate milling around with lost expressions on their faces. It was risky to fight in public, fuck it though, people were already scared of him. He didn’t have much to lose.

“Go on. Get it off your chest so we can go home.” It was a subtle jab. One that told her directly that he wouldn’t be leaving without her. That this was pointless.

“Look.” She breathed in deep, found him staring at her intently. “I don’t care that you want to be the alpha male, I get it. But the problem is that when I need you, you aren’t there. Almost leaving me dead. That shit show back there.” Rook stabbed a finger over to the mess behind him, “You ran. To protect someone else.”

“To save my brothers.”

“If that’s the case then why don’t you give me a gun? We could cover each other. I wouldn’t need to be defended 24/7.”

“The fuck do you want me to say? It’s instinct.” He shrugged. Almost looking sheepish, uncomfortable. Scratching at his beard and shaking his head.

Then it clicked. Why it was instinct. Why he grew so much angrier when his family’s life was on the line. Why he would definitely shoot her if she even pushed one of his brothers.

“I get it.” She stalked over to him. Laughing softly.

“Is it because you couldn’t protect them when you were younger Jacob? Not properly at least.” Another cold laugh, daring to look up into his eyes. “You got torn away from them, burnt down a fucking barn and thrown in juvie and ruined your brother’s lives! You acted on selfish anger...no,” she smiled, “wrath.” Missing how he snarled down at her as a warning. “ Instead of caring about your family you just wanted revenge. You ever wonder if they resent you for that? Or did you even ask them what happened when you weren’t there to play faux hero?”

Jacob shot out forward, hand tangling into her hair and twisting tight. Yanking her close until their chests touched. “Got some balls on ya huh dep? Found your fucking voice and said what you’ve been thinking all along.” Her mouth snapped open to protest. But he didn’t give her a chance to defend herself. Had already gone too far with bringing up his past. His free hand brought out a knife, pushing it over her lips. Easing them close and keeping the smooth part of the blade there.

“Wanna keep talking Pup? Wanna tell me something else about me, because clearly you know more about my life then I do.” The knife traced over her throat. “Don’t talk about shit you know nothing about. I’ve got no problems cutting you open right here. Watching you bleed out and gasp for air.” He twisted his head around, no one was watching them. Too caught up in their own misery. Trying to console one another.

“Nah.” He pulled away. Letting her breath. “Wouldn’t wanna scare the kiddies now would we?” His gaze cut into her, a small show that he cared about children. That he grew up protecting his kid brothers and he’d do it all over again even if they weren’t his blood.

“We’re leaving in an hour. Figure out what to do with ya later.” His knife twirled before shoving it in his holster. Walking with a gait that made her tremble.

“I hope you didn't mean that Rook. I’d hate to hear your opinion on my brother wasn’t just downplaying the heroic acts he has done over the years.”

She froze where she stood. All tense muscles that didn’t dare turn around to face Joseph. He may not be the oldest or the most sadistic but the Seeds were strongly protective over each other. Seems like she just backed herself into a corner.

“He’s done a lot for me, for John. And I know that he would give his life for mine and my brother—“

“He shouldn’t have to!” Rook whirled around. Joseph she could yell at. He wouldn’t lose his resolve and threaten her. Wouldn’t physically harm her or hurl insults her way. He’d take it and wait patiently for her to calm down like he was truly a father dealing with an unruly kid. “He’s more than some damn sacrifice. And yet he’d jump through hoops to save your life and he shouldn’t have to.”

She was almost standing chest to chest with Joseph by the time she finished. Heart thumping wildly as he addressed her with cool eyes.

“I know he’s more than a sacrifice. But he doesn’t. I don’t force my brother’s hand. I don’t make him fit into any roles. It’s his way of thinking, it had been ingrained into his very being and I’m afraid it is too late to change his psyche.” He sighed, features twisting into a pained mask.

“If you think you can do better child,” he shrugged hopelessly, drawing her near to push their foreheads together. “Then by all means. I miss my brother as much as you wish him to be a simple man. We want for the same thing.” He pulled away and squeezed her shoulder. No longer meeting her eyes. “If you saved him then I’d be forever in you debt Rook.”


	17. Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob has a thing for giving the deputy bliss and watching her walk right into his arms, none the wiser

The first time Rook was brought to him he spent way too long just sitting outside her cage and observing. Watching her come down from the bliss. His trials had to be done clean, no bullshit drug invading their body.

He had a good feeling that she didn't even remember what she did beforehand when she fully woke up from the bliss. She didn't act like it at least. It was like staring at a different person. And he had to say, he wasn’t displeased. Not in the slightest.

That’s why, before her final trial, before her sacrifice, he had his hunters run and grab her. With only a small warning that could be disguised as him just taunting her.

“You ready to come home pup? Gotta be honest, I’m getting kinda sick of you playing hero.” No answer, though that wasn’t anything new. He cleared his throat, leaning into the radio and smiling softly. “I’m worried about you deputy. You could get hurt out there all alone, the Whitetails have made you weak. Just come back to me.”

All he had to do was wait. In a few hours time she’d be back by his side and filled with the sickly sweet drug his sister made.

When his men pushed her in through his office door Jacob couldn’t help but smile. She was loopy. Tottering around with a confused gaze that couldn’t seem to focus. A few second later and she fell to her knees in a heap of dirty skin and torn up clothes.

“Hey pup,” he had no need to hide his grin of satisfaction with how dazed she was. “C’mere.” He crooked his finger, gesturing for her to come near.

“Don’t worry.” Holding up his palms to indicate he meant no harm. Leaving his waiting arms open as she stumbled forward. None the wiser that she was his. That in these moments he could give her enough bliss to make her memory too jumbled come morning. That he could do this hundreds of times, that she might still have a purpose within his ranks even after she made her sacrifice and brought down the Whitetails.

That’s the thought that crossed his mind when she fell into his arms with a small whine.

She belonged to him. Even if she didn’t know it yet.


	18. Let Me Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Tender, caring Rook treating Jacob

He broke her down day in day out. Kept her like a damn pet. Almost like a trophy. Letting Eden’s Gate know that she wasn’t the hero the Resistance claimed her to be.

It was humiliating. He’d keep her by his side, just as Pratt used to be before he tried to help her escape and met a fate not merciful enough to be a quick death because he was a Judas as if he was truly a traitor and adored the project.

Jacob fed her scraps and made her jump through hoops.

She had every single reason to hate the man. He made it easy. As if he was just egging her on to try and pounce on him with one of his sharpened kitchen knives.

There wasn’t a moment of pity for someone who killed her friend, who put a collar around her neck and had kicked her when she was at her weakest. Except for now.

Watching from afar as she leaned on against the wall. Flicking her gaze between his compound outside through a dingy window and Jacob, who had walked into his office late at night with soft mutterings of curse words.

He was a mess. Blood staining his clothes and twigs clinging to his hair with vigor. Scratches decorated his bare arms. Making his already red, splotchy skin look way worse. He had bags under his eyes, though she noticed that a week ago. Found it hard to not realize how bad off he was when he woke her each night with screams and whimpers in his sleep.

Truth be told he was getting worse. Not being as attentive, not reprimanding her for the small details that he stressed upon so many times before. In a few more weeks if she played her cards right and he kept rolling downhill, she might be able to escape. Slip past him when he wasn’t paying attention. He wasn’t on his A game. It’d be simple. She could have a life, some sort of future to look forward to.

And yet she felt herself frown as he crashed down in a swivel chair with his head tossed back and arms crossing over his barrel of a chest. Sighing heavily and paying no mind to the open wounds covering his body. Not bothering to toss off the ruined clothes either. Seemingly content to sit in his mistakes and brood silently.

It was pitiful. Seeing a strong, capable man like Jacob get beaten down.

She might earn some brownie points, maybe some level of respect or affection if she were to help. Show some base interest and concern. God knew she needed him. Being stuck with him, as his prisoner, had made her feel crazy. She was starved for attention, for the rare times he would praise her.

That drove her forward. Made her breathe in deep to cross the cement floor to him.

“Need help, sir?” Demure and quiet as she tipped her head down to seem unthreatening. Like she was really ready to shift her tone over the past few weeks and didn’t want to hurt him.

“From you? No.”

“Want me to get someone?” She already knew the answer to that one. No one needed to see him like this, she understood. Just another trick, another way to make him see that she cared. She didn’t. Couldn’t. Not with how he treated her. It was too dangerous.

“No. Go lie down.” Like she was some dog he could order around. And honestly, he could. He had the power behind his words and was more than strong enough to force her. “Pup?” Her eyes had drifted past him, body slackening from literally going nowhere from this. She was stupid to think otherwise.

She snapped her attention back to him. Taking a step closer to him, leaning in to look him over.

“What are ya trying to do here deputy?”

An offhand shrug as she slowly reached over to the table where a stray first aid kit lay partly closed. “Just wanna help.” She chewed on her lower lip, avoiding his eyes as she kneeled down in front of him. Hands shaking. “Something wrong with that?”

“Guess not.” His large hand came to rest on the back of hers, she didn’t miss how he grunted lightly with the effort. “The weak ones always gravitate towards someone who can protect them. The alphas of the world.” He laughed, ending with a cough and grimace. Moving to pull her closer, watching her as she pulled out gauze stripes and antiseptic cream. “It’s in your nature, can’t fault you for that.”

She worked efficiently. Murmuring apologies whenever he flinched, no matter how subtle. “What happened? Thought you were just going hunting.”

“So you were listening huh?” Mumbled more to himself as he began to stroke along her jaw, a queer look on his face.

He’d be more surprised if he knew how closely she watched him. How she paid attention to every little action he performed. Maybe he’d even be flattered seeing the reaction he just gave her.

Rook leaned back in her heels when she finished, eyes bright and wide, trained on him. Waiting. He sighed, closing his eyes and dipping his head forward. “Got ambushed, that’s all. Think they said something about--” He frowned, rubbing at his beard and shaking his head. Pinching the bridge of his nose like he couldn't get the words out.

Despite herself, she reached out to him. Touched at his temple and placed pressure there. Rubbed in small circles and hummed lightly. Something of an encouragement. Trying to drag him back from wherever he had retreated deep in his mind. She was only human, had emotions beyond hatred.

The small noise that came from the back of his throat sounded like a cornered animal.  
“They threatened my brothers. Me or them…” Sighing again when he realized he wasn’t making much sense, wasn’t divulging the full story. “Lost it I guess. They didn’t go down without a fight. The only damn thing that kept them from being cowards.” He hissed through his teeth, moving to stand, only to collapse back down in the chair with a grunt as he rubbed at the muscles in his calf.

Her hand moved back to his head. Easing away tension and brushing back his hair. Holding in a surprised look when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. “What are you doing?”

Rook stood, moving too quickly for him to stop her, sliding into his lap and drawing his head to her breasts. Inhaling into his hair, wincing at the smell of metal that made her nose tingle. “Just looking for an alpha, you said it yourself, Jacob. That okay?”

His body tensed again before he looped an arm around her waist. “S’fine pup. Think that’s fine for tonight.”


	19. Childcare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob and Rook has a child and their kid gets hurts when Jacob is home alone

It hadn’t happened yet, thank god, there had been zero times since their baby girl’s birth that made Rook’s delusions come true. Though they weren’t actually delusions were they? She had every reason to be afraid that he might hurt their kid. Everyone heard stories, people who were abused did it to others.

He’d never. Not in a million years.

Not like those words did anything to quell Rook’s anxieties. He saw it in her face, how she would wince whenever their child would scream too loud, or when she spit up on Jacob’s shirt after he fed her.

Truth be told it was more his fault for not reacting quick enough, but the way Rook swooped in immediately like she was watching from afar. Ready to diffuse the situation before it escalated. It made him seethe at night. When she curled up next to him as if she didn’t think there’d be a day when she’d have to pack up and leave in fear that he’d hurt their daughter.

Jacob tried not to take it personally. Made small jokes that were more, rude than jesting that she was a helicopter parent. That she needed a break from it all. She’d laugh with him, usually holding their kid closer to her chest, subconsciously angling her body away from him.

There were few times where he’d got her to break away. In small intervals at least.

Until their kid’s first birthday came and went and his patience was wearing thin. He had her leave, wanted to prove to her that he was more than capable. That her concern was starting to get old. He saw the worry around her eyes as she slipped away, not on her own accord, more John’s doing with a late night phone call full of complaints of some pilot he was ready to shoot down the next time he came a little too close to his ranch. Sure, the call might’ve been prompted by Jacob, but she didn’t need to know that. She just needed to protect her friend from his brother’s ‘wrath.’

It worked for Jacob. Allowed his time with his daughter. He got to feel like a parent for once since she’s been born.

Rook’s constant hovering made him jumpy when he was alone, ready to trip up and prove her right. Had his fingers twitching as he went to lift her out of her crib into his arms. Carefully cupping her head and cooing when she opened her eyes. She was a tiny thing with bright blue eyes. A trait he was thankful she possessed. It reminded him that she was his. That she was a part of him. It made him breathe easier at night to see some resemblance there.

In a matter of seconds, she was kicking her legs, rapidly blinking her eyes, trying to fight her way into wakefulness. The babble that came out of her mouth made his heart swell as he paced the floor with her. Lightly bouncing her in his arms and chucking her under the chin. Not seeing an ounce of fear on her face. She was open and trusting. Not having a reason to fear him. Not needing to switch into survival mode when left all alone with him. Something he couldn’t be as fortunate to say.

Her hand curled up into the material of his shirt as he moved into the kitchen. Moving slowly as he set up pots and pans. Trying to tell himself that Rook and him could be a normal family. That she could walk in the door and see him making breakfast with their baby girl in his arms looking so content. It’d be picture perfect, the kind of thing he only could dream of when he was a kid and hoped his parents would fit into that sort of role.

He smiled at the absurdity of it all. See? He could play house.

Jacob kept his mind split. Balancing his squirming daughter in the crook of his arms as he held a spatula in the other, prodding at the mixture of food he tossed in without much thought.

His teeth sunk into his bottom lip. Brow furrowing as he muttered a wrangled curse. Wincing a second later as he recalled Rook’s harsh words not to use that kind of language around their kid. Those morals go right out of the window when said child was about to fall out of your hands and be met with the cold embrace of the cement floor.

“Pup.” A warning tone that didn’t do much when his kid couldn’t even talk on her own yet. Nonetheless understand him fully.

He let the spatula drop from his grip, grunting when the oil from the pan clinging to the metal splattered across the floor, burning the exposed skin of his legs. His other hand went to support her, ready to move into place, going too fast and without much thought, his forearm caught the handle of the pan and sent it flying.

Jacob’s action was done instinctually, an ingrained movement that has been seared into his memory as a soldier. Going to turn slightly and shield his eyes.

He hadn’t calculated the kid in his arms into that equation. Not at all used to protecting someone so fragile who solely relied on him.

The cry she let out tore into his heart. Made such a sweet moment shatter around him as the steaming hot oil scorched her skin. Making fiery red marks on her unblemished arms and legs by the time Jacob had rushed into the bathroom with tears in his eyes.

“God no. Fuck.” Cold water. That’s what he needed. And what he struggled to make the faucet produce with how badly he was shaking. He pressed a rag to her skin. Keeping his mouth set in a grim line as he listened to her cries of pain. He was meant to protect her, to keep her safe and unscarred. “You’re fine. Shush, right here pup, daddy’s right here.” She really was fine, Jacob knew that. In a few hours you wouldn’t be able to tell that anything had happened. Rook wouldn’t know. But he would.

“Here, c’mere.” He went to swaddle her, reaching into the closet as he walked out of the bathroom to grab a cherry red blanket. All that showed was her tiny pink face, still scrunching up her nose from discomfort. Jacob collapsed back into a chair, pulling her close to his chest and placing kisses to her rosy cheeks. Mumbling apologies to stop her whines.

He fell asleep like that. With a fear-addled brain spinning horror stories about the kind of man he might become if he wasn’t careful. That maybe Joseph didn’t just kill his daughter because some voice whispered the command in his ear, maybe he was afraid of history repeating itself in the most violent of ways. Even if he never meant to hurt his kid, shit happens, things spiral out of control. Jacob would never do the same thing. But keeping her by his side might bring misery to them both.

*****

“Jake.”

Rook hovered over him, poking him in the chest and running her fingers through the sparse hair on her child’s head. A mix between red and brown. It could go either way when she grew up.

“Jacob.” Another hushed whisper that more stirred the baby on his chest then the man himself. It was a cute sight. One that Rook captured on her phone as soon as she walked in before deciding that waking him up before his neck grew stiff would be a good idea.

His bright eyes opened wearily. Taking a moment before focusing on her. Widening as he jolted upright. Hands tightening around their daughter and giving her an almost guilty look.

“You alright?” Rook asked softly, sliding into his lap, arm swinging around his neck and placing a kiss on his shaved head.

“Fine Rook.”

“You sure?” He held his breath, cursing this woman for reading him so easily. For tearing down walls he spent years erecting. “Nightmares?”

He laughed at that. It was a bitter and scathing sound. Because she wasn’t too far off with how he played countless scenarios about what he could become. Reliving moments of fear from his childhood. “Mhm, nightmares.”


	20. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob finds out Rook is pregnant

“Excuse me?”

The tone he used made her cringe. Had her bunch her shoulders up around her neck and avert her gaze to the floor. His initial reaction wasn’t what she had been hoping for. Sure, she wasn’t expecting outright joy. Jacob wasn’t the type of man to pick her up, swing her around and croon at her unborn child. Their unborn child.

But anything would’ve been better than how his muscles had tensed beneath his jacket. That all his movements froze as he stood facing away from her. Hands once busy now slowing to a halt.

She should’ve known better. Should have, at the very least, not just sprung it on him that they were about to be parents in 9 months. Not with how their relationship got off to a rocky start. They still had moments of anger and fear. And with his childhood...becoming a father had probably only crossed his mind once or twice. Never to be dwelled on.

Because kids were expensive. They were noisy and messy, could just get on your nerves if you had an off day, which he had a lot of. Parenting wasn’t for everyone. Jacob’s own youth had proved that perfectly fine. Yet she still stood in front of him instead of packing up her bags and running for the hills, leaving him to shield her child from the kind of life Eden’s Gate would offer them.

With a deep inhale Rook repeated herself, clutching tight to the pink stick in her hands. “I said I’m pregnant.”

He finally turned. Boots scuffing on the linoleum. There was toxicity in the air that kept rooted to the spot, shaking where she stood. Eyes pinched shut as she felt him pluck the test from her hands. Didn’t take an idiot to read the bright pink symbol that stood out against the white background declaring her a mother.

“We’re gonna be parents then.” The stick was tossed over on the table as he advanced on her. Tilting his head to try to find her eyes. Grabbing her jaw and dragging it up. Seeing the fear in her gaze.

With gentle hands, he covered her flat stomach. Not even close to showing. “Gonna have a pup of our own.” He laughed, shaking his head.

It threw her off. Made her back straighten, hands clenching at her sides. Was he mad?

Her shirt was pushed up as he bent down, laying a kiss on her navel. Head tipping back to look at her with beaming eyes. “Fucking hell. I’m gonna be a dad huh?” The way his lips twisted after he whispered the words said it all. Spoke volumes. He really hasn’t thought about this, not in a long time.

“You’re okay with that?”

“Gotta be.” He rose back up. Pulling her close and whispering in her ear as he bent to get near. “Gotta be strong for this one. For you too. Gonna make both of you proud.”


	21. Skinny dipping (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Drunk Deputy goes skinny dipping and gets caught by Jacob

The solution to all the world's problem just had to be alcohol. Her panacea so to speak.. Although not a favored drink by Eden’s Gate standards, a little bit couldn’t hurt anyone. At least it wouldn’t, unless you down four bottles in succession. Which, come morning, she’d deny wholeheartedly.

But that was morning—just the thought of starting a new day with the addition of a hangover had her sneering—and the morning was future Rook’s business. Definitely not a subject for now. There was a time and a place to be reprimanded, and now, when her skin felt like it was on fire and the moon made the water reflect beautifully, well now just wasn’t the time to scold herself.

Without much thought, she tossed off her clothes. Letting them decorate the ground. Something else she’d have to worry about: the stains from the mud her cotton shirt was collecting wasn’t a fun thing to worry about as she swayed from side to side and was on the road to getting alcohol poisoning.

Once again, concerning, but right now she wanted to relax. The sun had gone down only thirty minutes ago, and the water was still blissfully warm. Heated up all day from the sun. Making her skin burn for half a second with how her body was frigid from the mountain air.

If she wanted to run through Jacob’s trials again, and had the balls to taunt him, she’d give him a call. Complain about his choice in location.

Rook eased herself into the water entirely. Breathing in deep at the sudden change of temperature. She waded in until the water lapped below her breasts. Her feet sunk into the mud of the pond, keeping her cool and making her slip multiple times. The thought of drowning flashed through her mind briefly. She was drunk after all, maintaining her balance wasn’t going well.

In her drunken state, she mumbled some half-assed prayer not to crack her head open on a nearby rock as she made her way to the shore, hands shooting out to at least balance herself.

*****

Jacob had caught sight of her a few miles back. Had been tracking her as she stumbled along. Tripping and cursing. Laughing into the night at whatever was running through her head. Smiling like she wasn’t in danger. As if Hope County wasn’t home to wolves and bears that could rip her to shreds.

That’s why Jacob followed her, keeping his distance, not wanting her to fall down some steep cliff only to bleed out on him.

She had her purpose, and dying drunk off her ass wasn’t it.

The scene he had in front of him though..Jacob let out a soft chuckle. Running a hand down the side of his face in disbelief. Well, this was certainly a good pay off for following her all this way.

To be honest, it isn’t the first time he had imagined Rook beneath him, bare and willing. The jeans and crop top she wore didn’t leave much to the imagination. It had him shifting uncomfortably the first time she had been thrown into his cage. Looking muddy and dejected. He thought he’d have to be the one holding her down just to see what she was hiding beneath her clothes.

Lucky for him, his little lamb had been more than willing just at the sight of some water. Ready to swim despite it being freezing out. The water must’ve been warm if her low groan was anything to go by.

She twirled, trailing her hand in the water to make some waves.

From so far away he could still see how unfocused her eyes were. Too fucking perfect. Maybe there was a god.

Finally, Jacob stepped out from his spot in the trees. Humming a soft tune and tossing his music box down on top of where she’d thrown her shirt. He wouldn’t be needing that this time around. She made it easy for him.

“We having fun in there Deputy?”

Even with the alcohol impeding her bloodstream she was still on high alert. Going tense and turning abruptly in the water to face him. Too far for him to just grab her.

He crouched on the ground, reaching out for her, “C’mere.”

She rose an eyebrow. Swaying on her feet. Seeming conflicted as her gaze flickered between him and where she was aiming to walk on the other side of the pond. "Deputy. Now." Like he was speaking to a rowdy animal. Putting a steely tone into his voice as he pointed to the spot in front of him.

Rook laughed at him. Giggling like a child as she brought her hands up to her chest, curling them into tight fists before letting them land back in the water with a splash. It was enough to draw Jacob's attention to where she was exposed above the water. Not having the right mindset to care that she was naked with nowhere to go. Gazing at him like this was a game, and he wasn't the enemy.

"Come and get me if you want me so bad."

Oh. So it was going to be like that? Fine, he'd be alright giving chase. Lord knows he's spent way too much time hunting this woman. A little more work wouldn’t kill him.

Jacob was quick to toss off his clothes as if scared she'd change her mind. Suddenly sober up and run like she was meant to.

He waded in, body relaxing at how warm it was. Though Rook looked more than happy to be neck deep as she swam away. Paddling rapidly, legs kicking out and sending a spray of water at him that he avoided with a raise of his hand.

“You gonna come here if I ask nicely?” He crossed his arms over his chest. Raising an eyebrow at where she stumbled along. Her shortness accentuated by the fact that she was struggling not to swallow water every few seconds.

“No way in hell.” She shoved a finger in his direction. Unknowingly taking a few steps forward towards him. “You’re dangerous.”

Jacob let out a gruff chuckle at that. Wanted to ask why she was still coming closer if she really thought he was as dangerous as she deemed him to be. Instead, he ran a hand through his beard, letting it catch the droplets on his fingers. “Can’t argue there pup.”

His hands shot out to grab her when she fell, not that he was too surprised. He’d seen it coming before she had. He wrapped her in close and let her squirm against him.

“Wait—whatreya…” her words were slurred. Too fucked up for him to make out what she was trying to say. All he knew was that she was unhappy. Scared too, if her wide eyes were anything to go by.

He reached out a hand, her body still cradled against his, water dripping between them, creating tiny ripples in the otherwise calm pond. With a rough grip, he grabbed at her breast. Deflating when she didn't move away.

She did tense though. Muscles going rigid as she shoved him away. Or tried to. Couldn’t do much as he turned her around, forearm locking around her waist, lining their hips up from behind.

“Shh pup. Don’t move.” Jacob hummed. Kissing behind her ear. Taking himself in his hand and pumping himself with a fast pace. Angling himself at her entrance. Letting her feel his length, some sort of warning about what he was about to do. He pushed inside when he was achingly hard. Wincing at the drag of skin on skin.

It worked though. Got him seated inside. Not all the way. She couldn’t take that. Already she was bucking her hips to try and get away. Unintelligible words falling from her lips.

Jacob thrusted his hips harder. Jamming himself in until they were flush against each other.

“Stop moving.” Words accompanied with a not so gentle nip to her neck. He roved over her chest. Tugging on one of her nipples roughly until she squealed. “Stay there like a good little soldier should and take it.”


	22. Cat and Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request: Jacob hunting the Deputy

He could see the fear oozing off of her. How she trembled with a white-knuckled grip around her standard issue pistol that wouldn’t do much if he decided to jump out at her. But what would the fun in that be?

No, Jacob much more preferred it like this. With her only a throwing distance away, close enough to touch at some points when she let her guard down a little too much.

She knew she was being hunted. Or maybe stalked was the operative word.

It brought a smile to his face to see her walk with a slower gait, all doe-eyed and new to this part of Hope County. Looking like she would rather be back home. Tucked under some soft silk sheets with her phone curled in her fist as she first woke up. Anywhere but where she was right now. Hyper-aware and paranoid.

He let a gruff laugh slip. She wasn’t really paranoid, not when her worst fears were completely valid. Her nightmare was lurking behind trees and scaling over large rocks three times quicker than she could manage. She’s adapted well to this kind of life, he'd give her that. She probably had thoughts all up in her head telling her how prepared she was to face an encounter with him. He may be twice her age, but this was his game, his home. He’s as good as they come.

The hunt excited him, made his instincts kick into gear. Had him on his best behavior. Although this wasn’t hunting, more like a predator waiting for an opportune moment to jump out at his prey. Knowing that a second earlier or later could mean a gnawing need for a meal. Another day of wanting and hoping.

Jacob wouldn’t be left disappointed for long. Not if tonight ended like he had been hoping for when he caught sight of her two miles back. Trekking along with a little too much pep in her step, whistling like the world was coming to an end. When she started singing is when he planted the seed in her mind that she might not be alone. That this cheery act that seemed ingrained in her personality had to go if she wanted to survive.

He knew he could catch her at any time, and that’s what was fun about playing cat and mouse like this. The awareness that he was the dominant one. That this would end with his say so.

He wasn’t close to tired. Could go for this like hours, could keep it up for longer than she could with how she was already panting from exertion and whining under her breath from panic. He wouldn’t end it now though, hell, the sun wasn’t even down yet.

That’s when the real hunt could begin.


	23. Heat (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request:
> 
> “Trying to impress me pup.” Not even a question. It didn’t need to be. “I can help.” She heard the dirt under him shift as he stood. Drawing her attention to him standing, moving to open her cage door.
> 
> Her mind drew back in to what he was doing. What his intentions were.
> 
> Rook scrambled to get up, only to fall back down on her knees. Trembling as he got closer. “Can’t back out on me Deputy.”
> 
> “I remember telling you to fuck off.”

“Jesus. That’s you pushing your scent pup?” She curled up further into herself. Willing her inner omega to calm the fuck down upon Jacob’s sudden presence. “Could smell ya from all the way across the yard. Who’s attention are you trying to get?” Her mouth stayed shut, but her eyes opened. Finding the soldier crouching back on his haunches and peering in at her through the bars of the cage.

“Hm?” He tipped his head, eyes shining when she didn’t answer him.

“Jacob please…”

“Go head pup. Speak. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Leave.” From his wide eyes that was the last thing he was expecting. The laugh he gave off a second later made her realize he was still in control. That he could care less that she was in heat. A month early she might add. “I’m begging you Jacob. Leave. I can’t—“ she inhaled deeply despite herself.

Rook moaned under her breath. Biting down on her forearm with anger.

“Now that’s not proper begging. At least not the kind I’m gonna accept.” She cocked an eyebrow. Nuzzling into the crook of her arm like she could escape him. “Come here. Hands and knees, beg for me.”

Fuck it. If that’s what it would take for him to piss off and let her suffer alone, so be it. He was already fucking her up. Making slick pour out from between her legs, getting her ready for a partner she didn’t have. He knew what he was doing too, she could tell from the smile he held as she crawled his way.

Her eyes were kept down. Panting breaths left her as she got closer. Sucking in his scent like it was fresh air. By the time she was kneeling in front of him, her cheek was pressed into the mud, ass up in the air of her own accord.

“Aw. Would ya look at that. So needy.” His hand reached through the bars, brushing at her jaw. Moving back and forth and driving her wild. “What’s wrong?” Jacob asked softly.

“Are you fucking stupid?”

“Watch it pup. I asked you a question.”

Her eyes slid closed. A whine almost pulling out of her throat. Rook reached over to grab his wrist. Pulling his hand close to her lips and tasting the dirt on his fingers. From their close proximity she could hear his sharp breaths and the shaky exhale he gave a second later.

“Wanna know what’s wrong?” Her eyes found his, nipping at the tip of his finger and seeing his eyes dilate. “S’my heat. It’s been so long..and I just...fuck.” Her hips twitched. Grinding into the earth like that would relieve her.

“Jacob?” She pulled his hand out of her mouth. Seeing how his eyes followed the string of saliva that connected them. “Do I have your permission to take my clothes off?”

He laughed. Full and loud. She found she liked that sound, that her body adored it from the rush of slick that made her pants stick to her legs. He glanced around, finding no one near, he nodded. “Yeah, that’s what you wanna do? If you think it’s gonna help, I’m not gonna stop you.”

That was all she needed to roll away from him, moving on her back to wrestle with her clothes. Tearing them off her body and tossing them behind her.

Her legs spread wide without her command. It was instinctual. Showing off to a potential mate.

Her position showed him everything. Gave him a perfect view of her cunt. Clenching around nothing and in need of something between her legs.

Jacob whistled, smiling when he heard her whimper. “Trying to impress me pup.” Not even a question. It didn’t need to be. “I can help.” She heard the dirt under him shift as he stood. Drawing her attention to him standing, moving to open her cage door.

Her mind drew back in to what he was doing. What his intentions were.

Rook scrambled to get up, only to fall back down on her knees. Trembling as he got closer. “Can’t back out on me Deputy.”

“I remember telling you to fuck off.”

“No.” He fell down on his knees next to her. “Don’t be like that. Not after the show you just put on.” He grabbed her chin. Tipping her head up to force her to look at him. “Now present yourself for your alpha.”

Rook keened in her throat. Trying to shake him off as his hands guided her to shift her ass in the air, raising her hips to meet his clothed cock. “Think you’re in any position to argue?” He slapped her ass. Grabbing it a second later. Spreading her cheeks apart and humming his approval. “You put on quite the show, someone deserves to see it up close.” He ran his finger up her slit, neglecting to fully push the digit inside. Egging her on, wanting her to push back into him.

All he got was a hushed snarl, lost to the dirt. “You won’t be able to last much longer Rook.” Two fingers pushed inside her, walls clenching to try and force him out. “You think my men aren’t talking about ya? That they wouldn’t kill just to have a taste when my back is turned?” He leaned over her, pushing a kiss to the back of her ear. Fingers twirling around inside of her. Pressing up on a sensitive spot that made her see stars. “I’m trying to protect you.” He laughed lowly, smiling when the noise made her tighten around his fingers.

“Yeah,” his voice dropped an octave lower, “Imagine that. For once the big bad wolf is helping you out.” Jacob’s hand drew back, going to flip her on her back. Shoving her legs apart with a soft growl of ‘no none of that,’ when she tried to stubbornly shut them. He slotted himself in between. Moved his hips so she could feel the promising bulge there, putting himself on display for her. “You wanna save your pride and get raped,” it wasn’t lost on him how she flinched roughly at his tone, “Fine. Fucking go for it. Try to take your chances against my best men in their most primal state.”

He pulled away from her. Wiping his slicked fingers on her naked thigh as he went. Turning on his heel and slamming the cage door shut, twisting the lock in the key.

“Arturo!” The man Jacob called over was tossed the keys. “Keep those safe for me.”

He shot her a smile. Not bothering to hear the unsteady ‘yes sir,’ his soldier delivered a second later. Too busy smelling her fear.


	24. Fluff with Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request:
> 
> He startled, the noise of the wind brushing along the ground becoming the one thing he was truly listening to. “Pup.” His voice cracked, sounding unlike him even to his own ears. Suddenly he was glad no one was around for miles.

Jacob’s head was hung low. Bruises and cuts littering his body and everything aching. It’d been so long since he’s felt pain like this. The kind that dulls your mind yet makes every nerve scream to the point where breathing was a chore.

The deputy strolled into town with her bravado and too much potential. He spent months honing her skills. Making her skills match his until he could just wind her up and watch her go. He was, dare he say it, proud. Seeing her kill Eli and storm out of the Wolf’s Den with anger etching over her face, he was so ready.

First hand he told her he’d die for his brother and do it gladly. Yet when she dealt the final blow and strike her knife through his thigh to bring him to his knees...she didn’t do it. She sneered down at him like she was disgusted before drawing his head to her hip and squeezing tight at the nape of his neck. Going on about mercy and how wrong he was. Something he tuned out because she was wrong.

He never thought he’d live past today.

Yet he was still sitting at the top of that mountain he had been sniping off of. Watching the start of a new day and praying for the first time in so long that his injuries would be the end of him. Deep down he knew they wouldn’t. Mere flesh wounds. That hurt too, knowing the deputy probably sweated a little extra just to make sure she didn’t hit anything vital.

It was bullshit.

So Jacob sat with his legs dangling off the cliff, eyes closed tight and contemplating his next move. The only thing to get his attention, to pull himself out of the depression that was tugging at his heart and making the 200 foot drop seem very desirable, was the soft whine coming to his left.

He startled, the noise of the wind brushing along the ground becoming the one thing he was truly listening to. “Pup.” His voice cracked, sounding unlike him even to his own ears. Suddenly he was glad no one was around for miles. That the bodies littering the valley around him were all dead. “Come here.” He raised his hand, tentative eyes fluttering around and landing back on his wolf.

She was wagging her tail, head bowed and ears pressed flat to her head. The steady noise of a whine climbing out of her throat made Jacob smile. “Yeah, It’s me.” The tears he hadn’t let drop for years now finally came out. “Come girl.” And she did. Walked a little bit quicker to her master, the man who raised her from a pup and who grabbed her close each time thoughts from his past would make him scream into the night. She was a judge, red crossed snout and glaringly white fur, though her eyes held life.

Jacob reeled her in like he's done hundreds of times before. Dragging in her scent of dirt from how she must’ve ran miles just to track him down.

Her tongue was lapping at his cheek, roving over his arms and the blood that had long ago dried. “I’m here.” His lips brushed over her head, rubbing across her ribs, less emaciated than other Judges. At her onslaught of whimpers he shushed her, like she was hurting more than he was, “I know, quiet.”

There were tears staining her fur, merging his vision. “It’s gonna be alright now.” Though it wasn’t. Deep in his bones he knew it wasn’t going to be okay. Not after the day he’s had, not after the failure he had to face up to.

That drop still looked too endearing for him to just walk away.


	25. Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request:
> 
> “Still a bit curious about what happened.”
> 
> “Wolves happened.”
> 
> Her lips tipped up in a mocking laugh. Shaking her head at the absurdity of this sudden ceasefire.

“Don’t fucking say it.”

Oh she knew, she could see it in his harsh glare that she was meant to keep her head down and work and not say a damn thing.

“I know what you’re thinking deputy.”

Did he? She didn’t think any less of Jacob, he was human, he made mistakes and got hurt. She had to admit though, seeing him get knocked down a few pegs, by his own creations nonetheless, it was laughable. But yes, she kept her words flashing through her mind instead of broadcasting them to him. Just by coming to his aid when she could’ve kept on walking said enough about the progress he was making in controlling her. This was their trade. She made sure he didn’t bleed out, and neither of them would spill out the glaringly obvious. Like the fact that he was worming his way into her head so very slowly, but his mind games must've been working if she was kneeling in the grass stitching up the gashes in his arms and the one splitting down his side.

“Thinking about how to get this done when you keep moving, you’re a terrible patient.” Her words were accompanied by a sharp tug of the needle held in her grasp. “Stay still.”

“Tryin.” Jacob grunted, face morphing into one of pain before he masked it quickly.

“Still a bit curious about what happened.”

“Wolves happened.”

Her lips tipped up in a mocking laugh. Shaking her head at the absurdity of this sudden ceasefire. His attitude was making her question why the hell she was helping a man who would stab her through the heart and smile while she bled out.

“Quiet pup.”

“I don’t think you’re one to talk Jacob. Not with the state you’re in.” Rook nodded down to the blood spilling out onto her fingers. Eyes going innocently wide as she leaned in close to him. Hand braced painfully on his stomach to drive her point home. “I could still leave your ass to die. No one would be blaming me, still looks as if those wolves got the better of you.”

“You won’t leave.” Jacob’s smile faltered. Weather from pain or anxiety she wasn’t sure. What she did know was that she, for once, had the upper hand.

“You sure about that?” Even as she said it she was rummaging around in her pack for alcohol, offering it up to his mouth to have him chug half the bottle before she doused it on his forearm.

With his beard glistening with droplets of alcohol he tipped his head and gave a real smile. Or as real as it got for Jacob Seed. “You’re still here aren't ya? You like me too much to just up and go.”

“See where John got his bravado from then.”

“Wanna repeat that pup?” Jacob snarled, pushing himself up further on his elbows and bearing his teeth. Uncaring that his newly gauzed wound was catching dirt from how he slammed it down onto the earth.

She smiled up at him through dark lashes. Trying her best for humor that seemed to fall flat. “Kidding Jacob, no need to get jealous,” Rook kept speaking, ignoring the way he snorted in disbelief. “You said it yourself, I prefer you. That’s why I’m here.” She tipped her head down, working on closing up his stomach and trying not to get sucked into one of Jacob’s games.

“Gonna stay that way?”

“Hm?” She froze, hand stilling in the middle of his chest, running through coarse hair.

“Are you staying up here, or are you running back down south, back to my brother?”

“Well,” she stressed the word, moving quickly to get this over with. Suddenly regretting ever choosing to stop. “I’m not John’s favorite person right now and frankly,” She slapped gauze over his stomach, “Faith kinda scares the shit outta me.” Rook leaned back on her heels, checking over her work before piling things back into her bag, moving to shove his grey shirt in his hands a little more roughly than she meant to. “So, yes, for now, I’m staying here. Lucky you.” She stood fast, gaining some confidence with the knowledge that he was too fucked up at the moment to give chase.

She moved to grab his army jacket, tilting it around in her hands as he struggled to get up on his own. Rook turned on her heel, whistling lightly as she walked away.

“Hey!”

She did not stop, nope. She wasn’t that stupid.

“You forgetting something of mine Deputy?”

She was, she knew this, and before Rook even had time to do what she wanted Jacob might send his hunters after her. Though that was a risk she was willing to take.

“Better watch your back deputy. It’s rude stealing people’s shit.” Jacob huffed, sounding way more winded than usually.

A week later, just as she intended all along, Rook did return his jacket. Folding it up neatly after she washed out the blood from his last wolf encounter and sewed up the edges that were threatening to break apart. It smelled of her, that's what Jacob noted as he shrugged it over his shoulders the morning the package arrived at his doorstep.


	26. Thigh Riding (NSFW)

“Go on. You asked for this.”

No. She really didn’t. Not once does she remember in the last two weeks in being crammed inside a dingy cage, exposed to the elements, ever telling Jacob she wanted to be forced into the situation.

The kind of situation where she was stripped down in his cozy little office, with keen and curious eyes focused on the spectacle he was making out of her. Tearing her from her cage when she could barely stand on her own. When only an hour before he tossed her to the ground in front of pitying faces and commanded his men to strip her. Because...Christ what did she even say to make him angry enough to do this? Her mind was muddled with how she was straddling one of his thick thighs, pleasure spiking low in her stomach and causing a sharp pain at her temple for just trying to figure out how the hell she got here in the first place.

“You’re getting what you want, Deputy.”

Rook breathed in deep, hand moving from covering her crotch to fist into the material of his shirt.

She had made him angry. Had pushed some buttons in her state of starvation and fatigue. Some stupid comment that went past flirtation. Just teasing really, she was bored, on the verge of death. At the time she didn’t think it could get worse, what else could he do to her?

Apparently he was quick to fix her scalding words. Wasting no time dragging her up flights upon flights of stairs past the curious eyes of his soldiers and into the privacy of his office.

And now they were here. With Rook riding Jacob’s thigh and grinding into him with the help of his heavy palm. An enforcing presence on the small of her back that was inescapable.

Her eyes were half lidded. Still adjusting to the dim lights that were an awful juxtaposition compared to the bright sun she had been forced to endure.

She was taking in his stoic features, trying to gauge how well refusing would go for her. 

“Not gonna ask again.”

“This isn’t exactly a punishment.” Her words were just a whisper. Tipping her chin down to her chest. Wincing when she took notice of the wet patch on his jeans.

“No? You don’t think so?” He shifted both his hands on her hips. Pushing her down subtly. Forcing the roll of her hips against him. Pausing for a second to trail his fingers down her naval, spreading her lips so her clit was shoved against the harsh material of the denim he wore. “I can make it worse if you don’t think it’s enough. Maybe I’ll take you back outside if you’re so eager to return, have my men watch, have all those people down there learn a lesson from you.” He tilted his head to the side. “Do you want that?”

“N-no.” She swallowed hard, cringing when her voice wavered.

“Then get to it.” His hand drew away from her clit to rest on her hip again. Smiling his approval when she grinded against him of her own accord.

“There ya go. Just like I wanted.” His praise was subtle, a tiny thing that still made her mind light up. It’s what made her let out a light moan, the way his voice dropped down low and how his eyes became dark with lust.

Lust he didn’t care much to hide.

She kept her hips moving. Hands straying to his shoulders to give her more leverage as she pushed down, seaking some dregs of pleasure without anything inside her.

“Something wrong pup?” He was cupping the side of his face, almost looking bored. “You’re taking up my time,” he explained casually when she whined in form of an answer. “I’ve got paperwork to do, can't have you rutting against me until you finish.”

“But you can.” It came out as a whine. With her scooting closer to his body. Taking comfort in the warmth he was exuding. “Let me cum. Do your work, hold a fucking meeting with your men if you need to. Just let me cum.” She crowded his space. Burying her head in his neck, scattering kisses along his scarred skin as a form of persuasion.

“Yeah?” He laughed lowly, starting to feel her slickness running through his jeans. “You’re that needy? You wanna show off like a bitch in front of my men? God, look at you. Those resistance buddies of yours would be so ashamed.”

Rook didn’t have the strength to strike out against him, not when he was the only person granting her pleasure after weeks of being stuck in Hope County.

“Do you get off on that? Having people watch?” His hand slipped down between her legs. Fingers carding through her mound. Barely touching her where she was aching.

He sent another sharp laugh through the air. “Yeah, I’m sure I can do that for you. I’ll let you hump me like the slut you’re so hellbent on being as I keep going about my day, giving orders, commanding my men whenever they come in here.” He smiled, cupping the base of her neck. “Gonna be a long day, huh Deputy?”


	27. Keeping Warm (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt Request:
> 
> It was the first time Rook was truly afraid she might die. And to none of the Seeds, not peggies or even a rabid animal. She was going to drop dead because of bad weather.
> 
> The irony was palpable.
> 
> And she might laugh. If her lips weren’t frozen and she could feel her jaw. She couldn’t though, and her gaze was sweeping around as she squinted, searching for any place to take shelter. At this point she might just hole up in a damn outpost if it meant not getting frostbite.

She had been walking for miles. Arms crossed over her torso in some desperate, pitiful attempt to keep herself warm as snow fell around her. She really can’t remember anyone warning her of snow since she drove up to the mountains, and yet she was caught in the middle of exactly that.

A blizzard she guessed. With rough winds whipping her hair in front of her face and biting at her skin, which was now turning a concerning tone of reddish purple.

It was the first time Rook was truly afraid she might die. And to none of the Seeds, not peggies or even a rabid animal. She was going to drop dead because of bad weather.

The irony was palpable.

And she might laugh. If her lips weren’t frozen and she could feel her jaw. She couldn’t though, and her gaze was sweeping around as she squinted, searching for any place to take shelter. At this point she might just hole up in a damn outpost if it meant not getting frostbite.

“Keep up. Can’t have you dying on me so quick.”

Like she said, if she wasn’t so damn cold she might have the audacity to bite back at him. Deliver some snarky reply that would make him turn on her and get up in her face with an imposing stance that would have a lesser man pissing himself. Though all she really did was waddle along a little bit faster to match Jacob’s speed. Of course he was marching along, acting like the harsh weather didn’t affect him in the slightest.

Some bullshit about being strong and all that.

Jacob was the one whose eyes were sharp enough to pick up the scraggly, uneven shapes ahead. Rook kept the same pace as he stomped further along. She was too afraid of falling in the snow to move much faster, her loose hoodie wouldn’t do much to protect her if that was the case. And she was sure Jacob wouldn’t have any sympathy for her.

Rook did end up falling. Stumbling over concealed rocks. The same large rocks that formed the beginning of a cave. A huge open mouth that wasn’t bright in the slightest was what greeted them. Their only means of shelter at this point until the storm passed, no telling how long that would be.

There might be wolves, and she couldn’t feel her fingers, much less hold a gun and shoot at any animals that decided to jump out at her. But her bones were aching and she just needed to lie down. Jacob could protect her, he had deemed himself her captor so he could keep his cargo safe.

A fire could wait it seemed in his mind, as could food. His thoughts driven towards the fact that they just needed a way to get away from the wind. So he tugged her along by the arms when her footsteps started stuttering.

Their footsteps echoed, making for the only sound that she could hear once they found themselves far enough inside the cave. Getting swallowed by the thing to the point where she was worried they wouldn’t be able to find their way out with the twists and turns he was taking.

“Gotta get ya warm.” He was more speaking to himself as he deposited her alongside a spiked wall jutting out with rocks.

Rook remained plaint, content to watch him work his magic in order to survive. And she had to admit, he was proficient. A master at his craft. Moving with efficiency as he pulled things out of a bag she’s never seen him carry. It was packed lightly for the storm they were braving, but it was way more practical than what she had.

_Really dep? Fishing magazines? You tryin’ to get yourself killed?_

She could still hear Jacob’s admonishing voice, and that had her giggling softly for some re her mind couldn’t understand. Body gently veering off to the side and down down down until she collapsed on rough stone.

“Fucks sake.” Jacob’s fingers were cold as they picked her back up. Half dragging half carrying her to where he set up camp in their dimly lit cave.

It was a tiny crevice, a lucky find that had huge boulders on either side of them that would diminish the wind. Creating a closeness between the two of them to keep them somewhat warm. It was a snug fit, that’s for sure. It ended up with Jacob shifting until his back his the solid mass of a rock and her sitting between his splayed legs.

The fire was dim, not sitting too close because Jacob wasn’t stupid and everything on his person was somewhat flammable. He’s been burnt before and that amount of pain wasn’t worth the risk of hypothermia.

“You with me pup?” He smacked at her face with a not so gentle hand. Angling her jaw upward so he could peer into hazy eyes when she finally managed to blink them open and turn them on him. “Good girl.”

The praise was close to that she’s heard across the radio right when he threatened her and ran halfway across the mountainside just to snag her the first chance he got. If he wasn’t so hellbent on starting her conditioning they wouldn’t be in this mess. She wouldn’t have to hear his gravelly rough voice that dipped and dropped at just the right times. Etching in a breathyness that made her squirm.

“We should lie down, maybe that’ll help.” Her voice squeezed out in the relative silence.

There was a light huff. Maybe amusement or annoyance. He didn’t give her a chance to amend it, only tilting them down. Hugging her snugly to him. Her back to his chest.

She drew her knees up to her chest. Arms curling in tight to her breasts. Cringing when Jacob heaved a heavy arm around her midsection. Tightening as a threat. Telling her easily, _you’re not going anywhere_

It was fine, she was freezing, fatigue clouding her mind. Urging her to sleep to at least forget about the chill invading her bones. His heat wasn’t helping, nor was him squirming to get closer. Yet she still pressed further back into him. Ass hitting right where his crotch was.

And...Fuck. He’s hard. When did that happen?

Rook’s unsure. It’s not like it matters. But she felt like she should be a little more on her game to realize that his breathing had definitely hastened, that his hips shifting wasn’t from a need to get closer in a futile attempt to leech the heat her body was producing.

He was getting off on it. Slotting the thick line of his cock in the cleft of her ass. Risking—as a horny idiot might—getting frostbite on his dick. Or what little he had pulled out from his jeans.

She bit down harshly on her lip when he moaned, loud and echoing in their enclosed space.

“You’re awake pup.”

Fuck.

She could feign it really. No harm in trying. Unless you counted being rutted against a crime, then she was fine with pretending. To keep up the rouse to protect her pride. Because in no way did she need Jacob Seed to beam with satisfaction when he came to the realization that she was getting affected by how his body rubbed up along hers and how she was getting wetter with the breathy moans he was letting out.

“I see ya rubbing your thighs together, trying to get something out of this all by yourself.” The grunt he let out was from exertion as he propped himself up on an elbow. Deft fingers that moved too nicely with how stupidly cold it was, eased around to her front. Rubbing at her carefully through her pants. Only teasing the idea of ridding her of the offending fabric when he sharply tugged at the material. Letting it snap against her skin with a dull _thwap._ “Want some help?”

“God you’re a fucking dog.” Her elbow slammed back, catching him somewhere in the ribs. He laughed it off, mumbling something under his breath that suspiciously sounded like, ‘cute.’

“You love it.”

And she did. God help her but she did. The evidence was right between her thighs. Showing too clearly when he pressed on her cunt through her pants and she pushed up into it. Seaking what he previously offered.

Jacob didn’t ask again. He didn’t need to when his hand moved and she produced a low whine. Her pants and panties were shoved down, getting caught at her bent knees. It didn’t matter. Not when his cock was already sliding along her exposed folds. It was enough. Left him a little more restricted than what he was used to working with, but a man couldn’t complain.

It was...

“So damn perfect.” His bottomed out in one go, head dipping into the crook of her neck and breathing hotly on her skin as he slid in closer. “Fucking tighter than I thought.”

Rook’s head fell forward. Cheek lying against cool rock, jolting with each thrust coming from behind. Ramming against a tight bundle of nerves each time he slammed into her.

Jacob reached around for her leg, raising it up and keeping her perfectly spread for him. It hit a new area, made her slap the ground repeatedly, like she was tapping out of a fight and not being fucked so perfectly.

His forearm wrapped around her neck, dragging her back to rest on his chest. Keeping them flush together and leaving her no way out.

“You’re already close.” He barked a laugh, fingers barely brushing on her nipple. “I can feel you tightening around me, feels a little like this.” His arm wrapped around her neck, closing off her windpipe. Teasing the idea of knocking her out right then. Leaving him to finish and her unsatisfied, probably waking up in a cage miles from here.

“Come for me, quick.” He was breathing right near her ear, smacking skin against skin. Arm still tight over her throat. “Tick tock Deputy.” A subtle warning, one that she should heed, lest he made good on his threat.

With no help from him and the lightheadedness making her limbs heavy, she relied on his cock alone to tip her over the edge. Whining and thrusting down on him until everything exploded white. Seeming too much like the bliss with how her eyes couldn’t function and she went completely limp.

A few seconds later she felt him spill into her. Thrusts faltering until all his muscles went lax. Arm loosening to rest across the span of her torso. Rubbing along the ridges of her ribs.

“Good girl.”


	28. First Time For Everything (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rook’s first time being on top

“You just gotta be different huh?” There was more malice in his words than he really meant. His eyes told the true story, the love that was still there from the first time he saw her. It was caring, more than it had any right to be.

Jacob was soft when he wanted. But sex, not the time for it. It’s not that he didn’t have the patience—well, it might be, not like he thought so—he just wanted to make bruises. Marks in her skin that everyone would see clearly. A sign that she was so obviously his.

They’d be made with her on hands and knees, Jacob bearing down on her. Nibbling on her neck with little regard for drawing blood or not.

The point was, Jacob liked control. So Jacob stayed on top. Whether he shoved her down on her stomach or flipped her on her back just because he knew how she’d cling to him, he didn’t take kindly to her trying to flip the roles.

God knows she’s tried. Halfway during sex when they were in the heat of the moment. Yeah, news flash: he was strong. He’d whisper dirty things in her ears of keeping her in her place.

Asking to be on top wasn’t something normal couples had to deal with she bet.

It was something she sprung on him moments before he tossed her on his crappy bed. She was already bare, and his cock was half hard in his jeans. Though at her onslaught of questions she could feel him soften. Going limp as anger took center stage.

“Is it that important to you?”

“Mhm.” Rook hummed around a kiss. Holding his cheeks in her hands as she stood on tiptoes. “Please.”

“God.” He groaned. Face burying in the crook of her neck and biting roughly. Wrapping a forearm around her waist to pull them tight together. “You’re the only one who could control me like this y’know?”

“Aren’t I so lucky?” She broke away from him. Squealing when his heavy hand slapped at her ass when she walked by.

Rook coaxed him down on the bed. Tugging his clothes off the rest of the way when he laid still like a child. “Don’t look so mad.” She climbed on top of him, sitting on his thighs and running blunt fingernails over the fuzz on his stomach. Trailing it up to catch in his chest hair. Sporadically placed from burnt nerve ends.

She grabbed at his cock with careful fingers, seeing his stomach muscles pull tense with each gentle tug she gave. There wasn’t exactly fear in his eyes when she lowered herself down on him. More like apprehension. It was new, territory he hadn’t though was ever going to come up. Control was important to him, and here he was, handing over the reigns so willingly.

“I think I like you better like this.” She teased. Gasping when not even a second later he slapped at her ass as she raised up on her knees.

“Careful there pup.” Though his words lacked a bite. He was loosening up already. Easing back into the mattress and groaning low in his throat when she sank down on his cock. “Back a dog in a corner…” He let his words taper off in a moan when she bounced effortlessly on him.

“You gonna bite me Jacob?”

“Depends.” He managed a shrug, looking too relaxed all of a sudden with her on top of him. Moving like she belonged there all along.

“On?”

“If you’d like it.” That made her snort. Had her leaning in close to him until he got the message and looped a strong scarred arm across her waist. Drawing her near so their chests were flush against each other.

That’s about when Jacob gained back his control. With his hands buried in her hair he moved his hips up. Thrusted them ruthlessly into her cunt. Creating awful noises she was sure his men just outside his office door could hear if they were close enough.

She was panting into the side of his neck. Hissing through her teeth and murmuring pleas. Though for what she wasn’t quite sure. Jacob seemed to have some kind of idea even if she didn’t. He went a little bit harder. A little bit faster and twisted her body in a way that had her crying out his name like a prayer.

Jacob was whispering in her ear, snagging her hair tighter around his fingers and tipped her head just right so each breathy word got caught in her head. It was lost in a rush of adrenaline but she could hear him telling her how good she was for him. How she took his cock like she was made for it, made for being right on top with him rammed inside. That her pussy was so, so fucking sweet for him, that she made such pretty noises for him.

He grunted once, the tensing of his muscles one of the only other signs that he had finished. Along with the warmth trickling inside her hole. He held onto her tighter, jamming inside as if trying to keep his cum inside her, afraid that any drop would be wasted.

“You ever wanna try being on top again pup,” her jerked his hips roughly into her, smiling when she let out a pitiful sob. “Remember this yeah? I’m still gonna be the one taking the lead.” He laughed softly, kissing her temple. “Know your place soldier.”


	29. Nesting

After Rook had…’fulfilled her purpose’, for lack of a better word, she thought Jacob was going to kill her. She climbed her was to the top, quite literally when she former a trail of blood up the curving mountain Jacob had perched atop on with his reddened sniper. She gave in, handed herself over. Fell to her knees and didn’t deliver the last shot that would’ve been fatal.

Her head was down, eyes pinched shut with a prayer that he would make it quick.

He just collapsed next to her, hand gripping her jaw and laughing under his breath. “You’re alone pup, you know you that. Weak too. And the weak will always have their purpose in this world.” She remembers how he breathed in deep. Inhaling her scent as he groaned from the toxicity of it. “You’re coming with me.”

Her new purpose, as weak as she was with her mind ridden with guilt, was nothing more than a mate. And she hated how that word made her squirm with enjoyment. Because she wasn’t some fuck toy for Jacob to use when he got bored or when he was stressed and wanted her to sit between his legs as he got work done.

She was his mate. The mark was there to prove it. Glaringly red with frayed skin at the edges. On nights like the one she was going through now, where her heat came on suddenly, she’d lie on Jacob’s bed curled up and run her fingers over that mark. Begging to whatever higher power to make him come home sooner. To do his due diligence as her mate and sate the need between her thighs.

Instead she was left with the beast inside her, clawing at her stomach and making her nose go on high alert. Sensitive to the smells of his courtyard outside despite the thick concrete walls and lack of windows.

Rook hadn’t nested since...her eyes closed tight in remembrance. It hadn’t been that long ago honestly, back when Eli was alive and he shoved a bundle of items in her arms with strict orders to lie down, ride out her heat in the Wolf’s Den so Jacob wouldn’t find her in such a needy state. She hadn’t even thanked him for that. She didn’t express her gratitude for keeping her safe, for tucking one of his old shirts in with the mix so she could press her face into it and have the smell of an alpha near.

That’s what she did now, all alone in Jacob’s room with heavy thoughts and not much self preservation to tell her that scrounging around through Jacob’s dresser was a bad idea.

She picked the coolest spot in his room to battle the sweat breaking out along her skin. Under his desk. It was tight, compact enough to make her feel secure as she nested. Her nerves were alight, bubbling with anticipation as she moved his blankets and assortment of clothes around until she could fit in perfectly, intermingled with his scent as the only thing filling her senses. She could die happy like that. In fact if Jacob wasn’t the type to take kindly to needy omegas feeding off his scent then she very well may get slaughtered by the man himself. She was past caring though, she just needed a time to let her mind wander as she wallowed in her own pity.

In hindsight she should’ve been paying attention to the changing scenery outside the window, or listened to the noises coming behind the walls. Because she was now staring down Jacob Seed, who was bending down, one heavy hand on his desk and the other reaching out towards her expectantly. As if he really believed she would crawl out so willingly.

“Comfy pup?” He moved down completely, kneeling in front of her and getting too close. Filling her nose with a new rush of his scent that his clothes had lost. In any case it had her moaning. Shoving her face into a pair of jeans that had too many holes for any sane man to wear anymore.

“Yeah,” Suddenly his fingers were raking through her hair. Scratching at her scalp in a form of praise she was sure was meant as praise for doing her job, fulfilling her purpose. “You aren’t moving huh?” He rose, taking his scent with him and leaving her feeling a little more than bereft as he came to rest in his chair. His legs kicked out far, bare of the military authorized boots she usually saw him in. Whether intentional or not, she intended to take advantage.

With slow fingers she grabbed at his ankle. Tugging lightly until he followed the motion and let his foot come to a rest by her face. She nuzzled her cheek into his socked foot, accepting more than she ever has.

Rook ignored his breathy chuckle when he realized her intentions weren’t sinister. He gave one last glance at her below his desk, humming the soft tune that got her into this mess in order to keep her calm and pliant. His perfect soldier turned demure mate.


	30. Lapdance (NSFW)

She was bold, shoving him back like she was the one who had control. As if Jacob was the most tractable man in Hope County. She may be on top, straddling his thighs as her knees dug into the crappy sofa in some cabin out in the middle of nowhere, and his arms may be crossed over his head in ease, but his eyes told a different story.

There was a dangerous glint there. A warning shot towards her to not try anything stupid. Because they weren’t friends and trust wasn’t earned even if neither of them were yet to pin the other down. Just two people stuck in the midst of a storm and riding out the worst of it in a cabin as big as a single room.

“You that bored dep? Or have you been waiting to do this? Imagining me under you?”

She laughed at that. Hands moving to his shoulders and feeling him tense when she crept her fingers up to his throat and back down to the center of his chest. Rook hadn’t exactly asked. Just sorta...pushed him and prayed he wouldn’t paint the walls with her blood and slit her throat with the knife strapped to his thigh distractingly pushing into her skin.

Turns out the soldier was surprisingly compliant. Maybe not used to being treated the way she was trying to. She smiled at him, moving in close enough to kiss him. “The latter.” She breathed, watching how his pupils grew, eating up the blue and leaving a ring of sapphire. Rook placed a kiss in the center of his chest on a patch of barely exposed skin. With little finesse she climbed off him, cheeks growing pink from how he laughed at her when she almost face planted. His hand hovered over her hip as she turned around, reaching over to palm at her ass through her jeans.

“Gonna take these off? Not much of a show.” He was mumbling under his breath, more excited than she thought he’d be.

“Aren't I supposed to set the pace?” He just shrugged when she glanced over her shoulder. He did comply to her scolding though. Smiling slightly as he leaned back in the cushions. Palming at himself already.

Jacob was touchy feely. Never able to listen to her for long enough to just sit back and watch. When she bent at the waist he was quick to lean forward. Hands sliding over her backside through her jeans. Wrangling around to the front to tug at her zipper and pulled her closer. When Rook spun around to face him with flushed cheeks, he was still hovering an inch over her skin. Ready to grab at whatever she was about to put on display.

And she didn’t disappoint. Reaching down to grapple with her jeans that he helped her work down her legs. “God look at that.” A soft praise as he ran over her exposed thighs. Making her feel naked with how he leered at her. “So fucking pretty pup.”

She wanted more of that, was hungry for hearing his words. That thought had some surge of confidence flood her brain as she flashed a smile and stretched her leg up to rest on his shoulder. An action that made Jacob grab at her ankle to tip further in the air. It provided him a view that had him cursing low under his breath. His finger reached out to pull her panties out of the way minutely. Just enough to show him how her cunt was twitching restlessly when spread. “All that wetness cause of me honey?”

Rook shouldn’t have been the one who was flustered. Yet she was like a teenager all over again as she scrambled to climb on top of him. Straddling his waist with hands resting on his shoulders. Fingers restlessly grabbing at the fabric of his shirt as she hovered over his cock. His hands were on her hips, coaxing her down when she didn’t move right away.

His actions had him snarling out a curse when she finally began moving on her own. Grinding down into him and pulling back whenever his head tipped back or he let a low moan slip.

“Such a fucking tease.”

“That’s sorta the point of a lapdance Jacob.”

He grunted. Lips twisting as he directed his attention further north. Resigning himself to grab at her breasts as she worked him over through his jeans. He slipped a hand down her shirt, shoving her bra out of the way to palm at her flesh. Each sweep of his finger to her nipple was like an electric shock. And he knew. Saw how sensitive she was.

“Piss off, I’m not fucking you.”

“You will.”

She blinked once, twice. Movements stopping as she fully sat on him. “Jacob.” Warning in her voice like she was talking to a child. “I’ll get off.”

Jacob’s hands were back at her hips. A glare held strong in his eyes as he minutely shook his head. And just like that she was reminded why he was the enemy, that he was a terrible human being who didn’t like being teased and now was hard, wanting. Cock pressing on her inner thigh insistently.

“You forget who’s in control here so quickly dep?” He pulled her close, slamming her into his chest hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Leaving her sputtering into the crook of his neck. Rook squirmed, redoubling her efforts when his grip only tightened.

“I practically own you. You know that I’m the one that point you in the right direction, I’ve made you strong. Think It’s time for you to trust my judgment right now.”

“You’re not fucking me.”

“Mhm. Keep telling yourself that honey.”


	31. Animalistic Urges (NSFW)

“Back the fuck off.” Panted out words that barely held any weight when Rook was struggling to hold himself up, pistol trained right at the doorway. Aiming the best he could manage from his position on the floor. Hoping that if he pulled the trigger he would at least get somewhere near Jacob’s head and not break a window. “Now’s not the time.” And it wasn’t, those words weren’t for show. He wasn’t being dramatic. In fact he didn’t think it would ever be the proper time to fall into his heat when he was fighting a war.

Jacob still looked stunned. After everything Rook knew about the man he never thought he’d see the day where he was speechless. Yet Jacob was hesitating in the entrance, fingers turning white at where they were gripped around the handle. His nose was twitching, even with how far Rook was he could see that, see how Jacob was assessing the situation. Trying to figure out why the fuck he walked in on Rook curled up on the floor in front of a raging fireplace to keep his dick from freezing off, because he was naked, bare as the day he was born. And indecent enough to be rutting against a pillow like an animal.

He cleared his throat, finally stepping in the tiny beat-up cabin Rook had stumbled upon when he had snarled out a breathy whine of ‘If you’re not gonna leave at least close the door! You’re letting all the cold air in.’

“So uh,” Jacob scanned the room, landing back on Rook’s frozen form--noting how he was squirming to keep from full on bucking into the cotton shoved between his thighs, “You usually spend your Mondays like this deputy?”

Rook breathed in deep. Ignored how his cock pulsed and slick poured out of him like his own body was perfectly fine committing treason if it meant Jacob would shove something up his ass. “You’re so fucking funny huh Jacob? You should be a comedian when you grow up.” And that got him a bark of laughter as Jacob kneeled down—10 feet away but too close for the very fragile thread he was hanging off of—and the man smiled...like an asshole. Finally finding even footing as Rook’s scent filled the enclosed room fully. He was a man of 40, he knew that smell.

“It’s not safe for an omega to be alone in his heat, all alone, no mate. And out here in the mountains…” Jacob whistled, head dropping in mock sorrow, “well honey I thought you were smarter than that.”

Rook couldn’t help but snarl. His lips rose as he snapped out at Jacob. Anger bubbling in his gut when the soldier didn’t even flinch.

_Fucking power hungry alpha._

Maybe If Rook asked nicely Jacob would very kindly piss off and leave. Go back the way he came and forget where Rook was riding out his heat. For once he could show mercy.

Not that such a notion seemed probable, because Jacob was extending a hand out to him. Palm faced up, like Rook was some dog in need of soothing. Ready to lash out at everyone who came near. And he wasn’t too far off. Rook was already tensing up, aware he was defenseless, literally caught with his pants down and way too needy.

“Poor thing.” Cooed so softly in Rook’s direction that he had to strain his ears to hear it. The fact he might miss something coming out of Jacob’s mouth had him leaning closer. He was rewarded for his efforts with a usually rough hand turned gentle curling through his hair. Ruffling the strands and smoothing down to the nape of his neck to pet at the locks that twisted and curved.

“Good boy.”

Rook full on moaned at that. Felt a rush of heat blossom through his stomach as his hips jerked into the pillow. Chasing a release he had stopped moments before all because Jacob was _talking_ to him. He was gone though, too far gone on his little island that he didn’t care that this was probably a trap. Laid out so perfectly for Jacob that he didn’t even need to try this time around.

Rook kept his eyes slightly open, jerked whenever they closed for even a second. He wasn't that stupid, didn’t want to get that far into his heat where he started showing the soft side of his underbelly to the enemy. Not like it seemed to matter, this whole thing was more of a game to Jacob going by the ever-present smile on his lips.

Jacob inched forward. Scooted closer on his knees with a hand still buried in Rook’s hair. He tipped his chin up with his free hand. Made Rook look up at him. “What do you want pup? You gotta tell me.” His eyes darted back to where Rook was humping the pillow, hips moving in small circles as his cock leaked. It was red and angry from the stimulation. Wanting a human touch more than anything.

“I don’t know.” It came out as an awful whine. Though his head couldn’t drop forward from the strong grip Jacob had on him. “Just need to cum.”

Jacob laughed. Tipped his head down until they were only inches apart and Rook was puffing hot breath over the bridge of Jacob’s nose. “I can work with that.” He disentangled his grip from the younger man’s hair to slide down his spine, slick with sweat. He stopped at his ass, squeezing one of his cheeks before leaning down to whisper in Rook’s ear. “You gonna let me go behind you? Give you what you need?”

“God yes.”

That was really all Jacob needed to change positions. To coax Rook’s hips up with legs splayed as much as he could manage. The pillow was yanked away to give Jacob room to work. He gripped onto either cheek, pulling it apart to reveal his twitching hole. Clenching around an imaginary mate that he was desperate for.

He bent his head, licking from Rook’s balls up to his hole. An action that had Rook’s hips swaying restlessly. Jacob went slow with the stroked of his tongue. Licked around the ring of muscle before pulling away to gather up his slick with a single finger. Though that never went inside him, just twirled round and round. Not exactly meant to be teasing, just preparatory.

“Not a fucking virgin Jacob.” His leg landed, hitting Jacob’s thigh and rammed into his stomach next. He held back any words about him being a needy omega and only gazed up at Rook with wide eyes. “Make me cum. Shove your fingers in my ass and fuck me Seed. Act like a fucking alpha for God’s sake.”

He didn’t break eye contact as he followed instructions, taking two fingers and pushing them inside. “Maybe not a virgin. Still tight though.”

Rook just grunted, head falling forward on the wood floor. He couldn’t argue with that. Not when Jacob was only one finger in, up to his first knuckle and it was already starting to hurt. His body pulling taut around the intrusion.

So he let Jacob work. Laid on the cold wooden floor that helped to stave off the heat in his core, rutting against the pillow because Jacob was paying zero attention to the growing need between Rook’s legs. Content to watch him fall apart and lose his mind on just his fingers shoved up inside him alone.

“Think you can cum like this?” Jacob didn’t need to clarify his question when he slid a second finger in and twisted them around wickedly, sending Rook into a flurry of curse words. “Is this good enough for you pup? Or are you as greedy as John likes to think you are?” That sentence had certain implications, even if they didn’t directly relate to how much Rook wouldn’t at all mind treating both brothers when his heat rolls around and instead was referencing to the younger brother’s obsession for sin. But the former sounded so much more appealing. It had Rook imagining Jacob exactly where he was, only with the added addition of John kneeling in front of him. Cooing softly in his ear with his cock shoved down his throat until Rook was choking on it.

He came seconds later from that image, with a cruel bubbling want curling in his stomach. He spilled out over his skin and the now ruined pillow that wasn’t even his.

Jacob laughed lowly. Pulling his fingers out and leaning over Rook to grab at his jaw and tilt his head up. “What? That’s all you got in ya?” He couldn’t answer, was too sensitive, too tired and dazed on how nice Jacob’s scent turned hot and sweet when he was aroused. “I’m sure you wouldn’t mind coming back with me. I can help you, honey, you won’t be left wanting.” Jacob didn’t give him time to answer, just stood, dragging Rook with him, not wasting time hauling him over his shoulder with a bounce in his step and a whistled tune falling from his lips.


	32. Purpose (NSFW)

Most days Rook questioned where she had gone wrong in life to deserve what was happening to her. She went over each moment up until she walked into Hope County and found herself heading right for Jacob. Eden’s Gate very own guard dog.

Taking him out first made sense, after all, how was a fanatical cult supposed to wage a religious war without the commander of their army? There was clear, concise logic behind it. She just didn’t anticipate how brutal the man would turn out to be. She didn’t think he’d have psychology techniques embedded in his head like all of this was second nature.

To be fair on her part, she didn’t back down. Even after that first encounter ended with bloodshed from fanciful people in her head formed by Jacob’s conditioning. Rook went at him twice as hard. Thought maybe it would dissuade Jacob, that there’d be some slim chance that he never thought there’d be someone so reckless who would go up against him running around his region with a shotgun on her back with the special purpose of destroying the glaring red wolf beacons he erected and shooting his men in the back when they tried to defend the outposts assigned to them.

All fun and games until Jacob got mad. He could try to hide it over the carefully planned radio calls, but she could hear it in his voice. She could pinpoint the exact moment when this all got serious for him and he was done playing games.

Rook wasn’t scared then.

She is now though. Terrified at why Jacob would stick her in a cozy room after weeks of keeping her locked in a cage just as everyone else. He fed her scraps of suspicious meat and drops of water, barely enough to keep her alive. Then suddenly she was thrown in a small room, chained down to a bed that was clean, cool blankets resting under her naked form.

Because apparently Jacob had given orders for her to be stripped down. Another humiliation tactic? She wouldn’t put it past him.

Rook kept her eyes shut firmly, trying to ward off the chill coming from seemingly nowhere by delving into her mind. If she tried hard enough she’d be able to forget where she was. Just tune out the howling wolves and the never-ending moans coming from whatever poor person Jacob had sunken his claws into. And that thought had all her muscles tending as some snide voice reminded her in her head that she too was a prisoner here. That Jacob already had her. He was only playing the waiting game.

“Just get it over with.” Mumbled with eyes still shut, talking to herself because there was no one else and going insane was becoming a very real possibility.

“Get what over with exactly?”

She jerked, legs kicking out against the metal frame, rattling chains that connected her to the bed when she caught sight of Jacob standing at the doorway In the small room, her breathing quickening was so easy to hear.

“Asked you a question dep.”

She tipped her head back to avoid his prying gaze. Didn’t anticipate how he’d cross the room so silently with intentions of grabbing her chin and forcing their eyes to lock. “Get. Over. What. What’s going on inside your head? What do you think I’m gonna do to you?” His fingers were forming bruises on her skin when she remained quiet. He puffed out a laugh with how she squirmed uncomfortably. “Scared?”

“Fuck you.”

Jacob didn’t react. Worse things had been said and done just to get under his skin. He knew not to entertain childish notions by getting angry. That was John’s way of dealing with things, Jacob had his own methods that actually worked.

He took a few steps back with arms crossed over his chest. Rose an eyebrow after her squirming had died down. “You done?”

“Am I done?”

He stopped listening after that accusatory sarcastic tone fell into her voice. He didn’t sign up to babysit someone who acted like a child. So he dropped his head forward with a slight shake of disbelief. Stepping closer to her until he hovered over her body, fist curled in the mattress beside her head. Other hand placed on her stomach, pushing down until she gasped and her words sputtered to a halt from the pressure. “Yeah, you’re done.” He mumbled, dragging a hand up to rub across her jaw only for her to jerk back as much as she could when he was so close.

“You’re smart. I’ll give ya a minute to think about why I’m doing this. About how beneficial this’ll be.”

He was climbing on top of her. A loose grin playing at his lips which she was more focused on instead of answering his question. He wasn’t paying much mind to how she was tossing her body around in a show of resistance. Her hips bucked, knocking into his own a few times with how violently she was moving. He rose over her on his knees, going slow as he tugged off his belt. Face stoic as she panted from exertion and writhed on the mattress.

“Got any ideas for me?” He beared down on her, pressing their bodies close as his forearms framed her head. “C’mon honey, I know how smart you are.” And that praise did weird things to her. Probably all those weeks of conditioning turning her brain to mush. They had the intended effect, the one that made Jacob smile at such a pretty sight. Where all her bones turned to jelly and her muscles were no longer strained.

The perfect picture of serenity. Quite the opposite of what she should be feeling with a 200-pound man crushing her ribs and currently tossing his pants and underwear onto the floor with little care for where they landed.

“Speak Pup.” She laid still, eyes blank, looking up at him. Some weak attempt at defiance. Only problem being that Jacob had been doing this for a lot longer than she has.

His fingers were suddenly crammed down her throat with little warning. Moving further and further until he was hooking around deep inside her mouth and she was coughing around the intrusion. “I don’t need you zoning out on me. I’m so fucking done with your disobedience, I just need you to cooperate one more time then we’ll both be done. Real easy.”

He kept his fingers in her throat as his free hand explored. Working across her chest with a roughness indicating it had been too long since he had touched someone. His hands were chilled, peaking her nipples when he grazed over them.

“Mouth’s too fucking full to talk huh?” Jacob squeezed at her breast, fingers making her skin red when her throat tightened, trying to protest. “Hush. None of that.” He tugged at her nipple, rolling the bud around as he spoke. “As much as Joseph wants to think that only the chosen ones will survive the collapse, we’ve gotta repopulate. Can’t just sit around with our thumbs up our asses. Gotta get a head start if we wanna rebuild.” He yanked his fingers out, glaring at the string of saliva that connected them.

He continued on, acting like she wasn’t coughing and panting, struggling to suck in air after what he put her through. “That’s what I’ve been telling my troops. Joseph though, now he doesn’t believe that story when I can have a number of people to populate the earth with, spread my seed like a damn wolf. Think John recommended that once.” He blinked at her when she calmed down, saw how wrecked she was so soon. “Starting a harem y’know? And since I’m choosing you and not grabbing a handful of sluts, I need some explanation to tell Joseph, one that he’ll believe. Wanna know what I told him?”

He cocked his head to the side, hair falling in his eyes, needing to be cut soon she distantly realized, but not yet a priority when he had her all tied up and ready.

With both hands free he smoothed them down her stomach. Blunt nails creating tracks in too pale skin until he reached her hips, pausing for a moment to keep their eyes connected.

“I told my brother that this’ll keep you right here with me. That you wouldn’t be able to continue your antics if you were pregnant. He was pretty much on board after that. And it’s not really a lie either, it’s come to mind a few times, never thought It’d get this bad where I’d actually go and do it.” He sighed. Long and deep and oh so fake as he shifted to position his cock to rest on her pubic bone. “You’ve only got yourself to blame.”

Rook whined. Tipped her head back and let out a loose whimper that sounded pathetic to her own ears. Not like she could care. Jacob had probably seen so much. Had witnessed thousands of people at their weakest. The sight was nothing he wasn’t used to judging by how he didn’t react. Only moved to grab something on the floor. Tossing it up in the air and catching it with ease before placing the object on her stomach.

A music box. Blue wood carved with patterns that looked tribal. Nothing she’s ever seen before.

“As much as those two stories helped make all this happen,” he gestured around vaguely to the empty room, “it gave me the go ahead to see this through too, I’ve got an ulterior motive, everyone always does. Nothing is ever selfless.” Spoken like he was teaching a lesson on life and not sitting between her splayed legs with his cock in his hand and his finger tipping open the music box.

“Can’t say I’m adverse to starting a family. ‘Bout time with how old I am. Gonna need someone after the collapse so I don’t lose my mind. We’ll be one big happy family.” It was personal now. Wasn’t for show for the brother who had a watchful eye over the county, or his men who would benefit from a lesson on reproduction and filling their roles, suddenly it was different with that reason. The fact that the thought of a family had Jacob looking down at her with a smile was unnerving, she almost didn’t believe it. “You’ll make a fine mother. And I’m not about to let you run from your kid.”

He didn’t give her a chance to defend herself. Where did he get off? Thinking that she would be shitty enough to run for safety and abandon her child where they’d stay in the hands of a psychopath. Jacob drew her attention back to the present before she could speak out against him when he took gentle fingers and spread her folds. Exposing her entrance to the air where her clit visibly pulsed. His thumb was slow and careful when it brushed over her clit, almost lovingly if not for the ever-present threat of the music box. Resting on her naval and bobbing with each breath she took. He followed her line of sight, grabbing at it, now with an open lid to expose the metal inside. “Figured it’ll be easier like this. Some conditioning to ease your conscience, move things on a bit faster too.” Besides that he didn’t explain any further. Let her wonder in horror as to what he could do as he set the music box by her head and dipped a finger in her cunt.

Rook breathed out, shaky and uncertain. Whimpering because she wanted to moan out to him even though she knew how wrong that was, she ached to beg for him to unbind her wrists so she could pull him close. Instead she pressed herself the opposite way, back into the bed, whining when he only doubled his efforts. A second finger curling inside her so easily with how wet she was.

That fact didn’t escape him, she was sure nothing ever could. “All of this and just cause of my fingers? We could’ve solved our little problem sooner if you woulda just told me how bad you needed to be fucked.” He slid his fingers out, rough calluses brushing along her sensitive walls in a bitter farewell so he could grab at her jaw until they were inches apart. “That’s what you want sweetheart? Do you want me to fuck you?”

She did in fact not answer. Kept her mouth stubbornly shut to save some sense of pride in her so when this was all said and done she could have the knowledge that she didn’t ask for it. He didn’t turn her into a pleading mess below him.

“We’re quiet today.” He observed softly. Not that he minded. Too busy grabbing hold of his cock to rest at her entrance. He’d have her singing for him soon enough.

And it was easy to do that. Her nerves were torn at the seams. Waiting for some man like Jacob to come along with a dick large enough to suit the job. The initial push into her, as his head slipped inside, had her gasping for air like a fish. A sharp snap of his hips and she was already his. He could see it in her eyes, the moment both of them knew that he caught her for good. Probably around the same time his thumb delved between her folds as he rubbed at her clit in sharp circles. Pressing down on the reddened nub hard until she was seeing stars. His cock was slamming right where a bundle of sensitive nerves laid, stroking at the perfect spot inside her with each push and pull.

He sunk in deeper, shuffling close until their hips were flush and he was practically on top of her. Trapping her in with cage-like hands that were balled into fists beside her head. Hot breath was fanning over her ear from how near he was.

When her own breathing hitched, a warmth coiling low in her stomach, that’s when he went slow. Changed his sporadic pace that was bruising her walls into something much softer. He was rolling his hips, using his thumb to toy were her clit, keeping her on the edge but not doing nearly enough to make her cum.

“Ready pup?”

Rook wasted no time nodding, begging just like she said she never would. Pleas of his name and ‘yes’ and ‘more’ falling from her lips. Too far into her own pleasure to notice him grab the dyed blue music box that first caused her concern.

He placed it on her stomach again, drawing back to give him room as he wound it up with a single hand. “Go on, take what you need. Take what I’m giving you dep.”

The music sped up, some disjointed tune that scratched at somewhere deep inside her mind and made her wince. Jacob’s rough fingers were back on her clit, his touch and the light thrusts pushing into her is what tipped her over that precipice. The music took hold around the same time she came and was already working its magic. Tying together the song Jacob had chosen--one Rook didn’t recognize--and the boiling hot warmth in her core that made her cum.

His praise filled her ears. An extra layer to the conditioning that made her numb to every sensation around her except Jacob.

She came back to her frame of mind with the feeling of his seed filling her up in hot spurts. He stayed tightly inside her, keeping her plugged. He traced her inner thigh soothingly, closing the music box as the last of her trembling died down.

“Think you can do that again for me? Only me, right pup? From now on you’ll only ever have that reaction for me.”


	33. Late night Guest

Jacob squinted in the dark. Eyes adjusting as the moonlight from an open window he was sure he closed, spilled in on his bed. Revealing a shape beneath the blankets that was too human for him to relax. His hand dropped to his knife, unsheathing it from its holster with finesse as he inched closer.

Ever quiet. Moving like a hunter knew how.

He stopped right at the edge, palm pressing into the mattress as his knife moved under the neck of whoever was stupid enough to invade his space without a heads up. It was too small to be Joseph, or even John for that matter. There was a dip where the stranger’s hips were. A curve that looked feminine. He only hoped he wasn’t about to wake Faith up with a blade to her neck.

With a gentle nudge, pushing the knife ever so lightly, he tipped them over on their side. Immediately taking a step back and switching out to his gun. “Fuckin hell.”

He stood like that for what must’ve been a whole minute. Waiting. Because the deputy was smart and she wouldn’t just fall asleep in his bed without knowing it was his room. She was calculated, not as good as his hunters. But among the best, enough for him to take an interest at least.

Her chest was rising and falling evenly. She was squirming minutely in his bed, as if aware someone was disturbing her sleep. She looked....soft. Not like a killer at this moment. If Jacob wanted to fool himself he could pretend she fell asleep waiting up for him, he could shape a life around the domesticity he never had.

And that thought had him releasing a shaky breath, it was dangerous to let his mind wander in that direction.

Jacob laid his weapons down in a safe behind his desk, storing Rook’s own weapons in there too. He wasn’t stupid, didn’t need her waking up and being dumb enough to try to shoot him. A small part of his brain was screaming at him, curious as to why he took such care in placing her worn bag away when she should be on her way downstairs to be thrown in a cage. He shouldn’t be shucking off his jacket and switching out his jeans for sweatpants. That left him standing at the side of his bed like he was the intruder. Shifting his weight from foot to foot.

Maybe somewhere along the line he lost his mind.

She was warm, that’s the first thing he noted as he crawled in his bed. Careful hands moving slow as he pushed her to lie closer to the wall. The second thing he found a second later was that his bed wasn’t meant for two. Not when he left a huge gap between the two of them. So really it was only out of necessity that made him drag Rook in his personal space with her head buried in his neck. And he couldn’t control her when her arms suddenly strung around him. One looped around his neck the other splayed over his stomach.

He didn’t shut his eyes at first. Didn’t even make an effort to sleep. Just breathed. Taking in the moment because he can’t remember the last time he was lying next to a woman who was so adamant about being close to him.

Jacob cupped a hand at the back of her head, pulling her impossibly closer as he tried to sleep. Ignoring how her leg had snapped up to wrangle him in closer, heel pressing into his spine. An action that he didn’t think anyone would be capable of doing if they were sleeping. He could worry about that later though.


	34. Coaxing (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anal sex between Jacob and the female deputy

He was working her open on his fingers. Hand splayed wide on her back, coaxing her hips into the air to give him access to her hole. A tight bundle of muscles that twitched when he first spread her cheeks and exposed her to the open air of his office.

She sucked in his first finger with a generous amount of lube coating his skin. Her muscles pulled taut immediately, resisting when he pumped his digit in and out. The second went in with a little more difficulty, and that was when he pressed his hand in the middle of her back, thumb rubbing along the ridges of her spin to calm her down. Make her relax and open up for him.

Rook whined out something pretty as his second finger popped inside her. Lube squelching an obscene sound that almost covered up her cry of pain.

“Hush now pup. Take it like a good girl.” He scissored his fingers inside of her, forcing her muscles to stretch wide. “Think you can take some more?”

She glanced over her shoulder fleetingly, eyes catching his in the dark, worry was laced there. Her hips wiggled, stopped only when his hand caught her waist and squeezed a reassurance. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

And that was the worst thing about this. That he wanted her to enjoy this, the sick bastard he was, he wanted her to get some sort of pleasure out of what he was doing. Sure, he liked making people suffer, it made them strong in his eyes. But for her? For his deputy? The worst kind of torture that would end up breaking her was knowing that he could make her feel something no one else had since she stepped in Hope County.

“There ya go.” His voice dropped impossibly lower between them. Making her ears rings and buzz when he managed to force in a third finger. Everything in her body tightened at the intrusion. Her legs splayed a tad wider as she shoved her head down in the pillow he had provided.

When he pulled his fingers out there was an immediate protest falling from her lips. She felt bereft and empty, whining to make him hurry things along. He hummed something sweet in response, and acknowledgement in the smallest sense meant to keep her quiet before he was shuffling in closer, pulling her along by her hips to line himself up.

There was the press of his fat cock head jutting against her ass. The pressure that followed had her gasping, no amount of prep would’ve helped with the pain she felt when he breached her. The curved bell shape of his head finally slipping inside. “Fuck.” He curse under his breath, watching with rapt attention as her hole clenched around him, sucking him inside her.

Jacob rolled his hips harshly, a sharp knock of air leaving her lungs when he slipped in another inch. What he lacked in length, he made up for in how fucking thick he was. Wide and girthy, splitting her open, spearing her on his dick until his flesh disappeared between her cheeks.

“You look good like this.” He commented, praising her body for giving him that kind of pleasure. “Made to be a fucking cock sleeve huh?” He laughed at her arching back into him, thrusting minutely when he failed to move.

He had a dramatic flair that most people thought would belong to John, the playboy. Yet Jacob kept going. He kept talking, speaking, loved hearing his own voice. The man made a goddamn powerpoint presentation as he strutted around, showing off for an audience who never wanted to see his face again after that night. He was no different in bed. She wondered for a moment why that surprised her.

“C’mon Rook, you’ve gone quiet on me.” 

His hips stuttered when he pulled out and pushed back in, hissing at the drag of skin against skin on his sensitive nerves. That sound filled the room as he picked up the pace, slamming their hips together again and again. Making her ears ring each time he groaned and her lower belly filled with heat she wasn’t sure she wanted or even deserved.

“Such a goddamn mouse, thought I’d get some words outta ya once I fucked you hard. Is this not enough?” A reminder in how this whole thing came to be. A harsh one at that, mingled words teasing her of how he coaxed her out of her cage, off the muddy ground and onto his bed.

_“Don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak a single thing pup. You must drive those friends of yours fucking crazy.”_

_He peered in the bars of her cage, leaning in closer, tilting his head to catch her eyes as she buried her head further into the ground as if she could burrow away and escape._

_The laugh he gave a second later was cruel. Maybe he saw her cringe away from him._

_“Honey this silent treatment really is starting to hurt my feelings. Makes me wonder.”_

_He tapped his fingers against the metal bars. Jamming out a tune that didn’t allow her to forget his presence._

_“Have you ever said a thing in you life Rook? Ever verbalized those wants and dreams you must have?” She closed her eyes, ignored how he reached towards her to pet at her cheek. “I bet you speak real pretty given the chance, the right situation, and the right person guiding your words.”_

_It was unspoken but clear._

_Jacob suddenly found her weakness. He saw through her with a shocking quickness that frightened her for the first time since she had been in his grasp. For all intents and purposes he meant to use that against her, he did it to everyone._

“Don’t you go zoning out on me.”

“M’not.” It came out in little more than a whisper. Scratchy and nervous from lack of use. God, it must’ve been months since she last spoke. It hurt, made her throat clench just as tight as her ass just did. Like some part of her subconscious was trying to stop her from saying anything else to the man looming above her, shocked into silence at hearing her voice.

His reward, not verbal but impossible to ignore, came in the form of his hands working her over. Slipping between the mattress to raise her hips higher to reach his target between her thighs.

The calluses on his fingers scratched deliciously on her clit. Rubbing over her nub with a gentle touch. He circled it with care, a juxtaposition of his sudden harsh thrusts. Jostling her forward each time his pelvis knocked into hers with a click of bones rattling.

“That’s a good girl.” He rocked into her a little harder, praise in both body and words. “I’m sure you’ll give me some more, let me listen to you. This was all you needed wasn’t it Rook?”

She hummed, scared to speak again, scared to get more praise that was sure to make her sing with pleasure. Not that he didn’t try to get something out of her, whether it be a moan her whimper lost in her ears, he got what he wanted.

Jacob was close, she could tell in how he pressed his weight down on her more so than before. He was practically shaking, buzzing with sensitivity. “If you want it honey I need you to tell me.” He pulled out almost fully, leaving in the crown of his cock, inches away from slipping out unless she told him that she wanted him to fill her up and leave her dripping.

The noise that came out of her mouth was akin to a whine. A low rumble following up out of her throat in an attempt to get something out. “C’mon honey, that’s it.” He slid back in, up to the hilt, making her suck in a deep breath to ground her. “I’m right here, you just gotta say it.”

“P-please. Need, n-need,” She cut herself off with a sob that was immediately soothed by Jacob. His fingers worked her over until she was cumming. Clenching down around his cock, squeezing at him until he was seeing stars, spilling into her ass without warning.

It was warm and thick, coating the walls of her ass white with his seed.

He pulled out of her slow, a small pop squelching with a combination of his cum and lube. Jacob yanked her back into his chest, easing her face into the crook of his neck, making her aware of only him. Dialing her world down into Jacob Seed and his kindly veiled words disguised to bend her will and warp her mind.


	35. Crush (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob develops a crush on Staci before everything goes to hell with the arrest

Jacob had caught sight of him once or twice when they first arrived in Hope County. Nothing more than a curt hello had even been said to the man. And as far as first impressions went, John was the one who had forced that interaction, wanting to leave a good mark on the locals, give them a good memory to associate with their name. And where better to start than those down at the small, underdeveloped police department? John claimed that having connections was important, that it would come in handy down the road. That alone hadn’t been enough to sway Jacob, the fierce protective tug in his heart about leaving John when they just reunited, did the rest of the job.

Joseph hung back with the people they dragged along from Georgia, working on housing arrangements lest they all freeze to death come nighttime in the frigid mountain air, and Jacob met Staci Pratt. A short little thing who wore his hair tied back with loose strands tickling his chin. He was friendly enough considering Jacob’s rap sheet with law enforcement, with a smile that told them both he was more than willing to make them feel at home.

A man raised up to be accepting even to people who looked dodgy and appeared out of nowhere planning on forming a church off of the ground. Jacob didn’t trust the kindness Staci gave so willingly, he didn’t like his smiles that could be used to hide bad intentions.

John shook his hand nonetheless, walking out holding onto Jacob’s shoulder with a promise to be back later to meet the rest of the team, saying to Jacob when they reached his car, “He was nice. Friendly too, yeah? Joe picked a good spot.”

Jacob nodded once, end of discussion from the glimpse of a man he never expected to have another interaction with again. John had lectured him once about staying out of trouble, concern drawing lines in his face that made him look much older than he actually was.

The second time he saw Staci was less pleasant, more awkward without John’s finesse and skill to hide behind. John dragged in everyone’s attention, whether that was good or bad, it got the job done. Without him, alone at a beat-up gas station in need of repairs--like the rest of Hope County--Jacob felt defensive. Too tense for the simple task of filling up his tank.

Grunting in acknowledgement when Staci waved a hello should have put the younger man off. It should’ve and yet it didn’t. Maybe it only sparked his curiosity about the strangers who entered his hometown, probably had him wondering why he wasn’t eager like his brothers seemed to be.

He was kind. Such a sickly sweet breed of a man, the type he wasn’t used to. Jacob didn’t like what awful thoughts that drudged up, the kind that reminded him of people could deceive and trick. It also gave way to thoughts that made him wonder if this wasn’t a good idea. It had him thinking that he wasn’t made for whatever life Joseph had spoke of, he was a soldier, and so far he couldn’t even manage in the sorry excuse for a society Hope County was. In truth, he should be trying harder. He knew that was what John or Joseph would have said, they’d push him when he could never push himself.

He was never one to like being uncomfortable, tried to avoid it as much as possible. So he ignored Staci’s next question, slipping inside his car to get the fuck away.

That was as far as their conversations went in the first few months. With Jacob only seeing him from afar after that. Once at the bar when John went down there one too many time, enough to catch his attention. Another time at the station when they were the last to see a woman who Jacob swore up and down he didn’t know the name of--that made Jacob think history was bound to repeat itself, that the Seeds would be forced to pack up again because of another false accusation. Staci was understanding during that stressful time, too nice for his own good.

Then years came and went. It added up to three, with barbeques the Seed family was begrudgingly invited to, with midnight parties to boot--alcohol filling the area and Jacob’s belly, making him looser than he had been in a while.

Jacob decided that’s where it started. With him drunk, smiling at people and cracking jokes, leaving his brothers’ sides for once to mingle with the residents, to ease their fears with answers to the questions they were dying to ask.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when Pratt stepped into their little circle of people chatting about nothing and everything. But suddenly it was just him and the scrawny deputy a whole foot shorter than Jacob, not wearing his uniform of course, but he recognized the slight man. Looking just as drunk as Jacob, shoulders slumped and stepping too close to him when he spoke next.

Some corny line about not seeing him around much, that he didn’t take Jacob as much of a party person.

He granted the man a laugh, looking down at his fifth? Six? beer, smiling with teeth and saying something that was just as cringy as whatever lame pickup Staci delivered. Because that’s what he was trying to do, right? Pick him up? Woo him?

It’d been a while, Jacob wasn’t sure.

It sounded like a good idea. The alcohol in his veins made it seem like a good idea when he wrangled Staci in close by the nape of his neck like he was a dog, jerking his head to the front of the yard where he knew no one was.

“Ever been fucked by a soldier, pretty boy?”

Jacob had never been one to use his military status to get a quick fuck, unless his one night stands brought it up and he realize he could attack that weakness and have them moaning, and he never thought himself gay either, but alcohol. The alcohol made him want to see Staci flushed from something other than being drunk, most of all he wanted to get his rocks off.

He was getting sick of the calluses on his palm against his dick. It was greed that pushed him in the beginning.

Doing it with someone he considered a stranger was nothing he wasn’t used to. Being thrown on his ass to fend for himself after he gave his life in the Army, he was used to picking things up to make it a good night. Nothing different except the face and location.

He wasn’t sure when it turned into something more than that. When the face he longed for had too long hair that Jacob always grabbed, a slim waist and could bruise easily.

Maybe around the fifth time, when Staci stayed the night, both of them blaming it on how drunk he was, with Jacob wrangling him in close around his waist, grumbling about him getting into a car wreck on his way home that was too far for convenient nights like the ones they began sharing.

Then he was leaving shit over at Jacob’s house, shirts and pants, a stray sock he’d bitch about later for forgetting when he left in the early morning light.

Then there were the countless dinners Joseph insisted his new ‘friend’ come to, over at John’s. And the sermons he could tell Staci was never really in to.

They got too tangled up in each others shit. Jacob offering a shoulder to cry on when Staci’s mother died, or when his sister miscarried, even caring enough to swing by his place when he could hear the crushing disappointment in his voice that he didn’t get the promotion he had been working towards for months.

Staci returned the favor ten fold. He took on Jacob’s baggage like a champ. Understanding the twisted past that Joseph revealed when Jacob wasn’t forthcoming. He didn’t ask about the night terrors or the large beast of a dog that sat by his side of the bed, ready at a moments notice for Jacob to reach over to bury his fingers into his soft fur.

He accepted him. And it made Jacob realize that the tingling in his stomach was more than the initial rush of lust he was so used to.

He had a crush. Something meant for pimple faced schoolboys who weren’t thinking years in advanced because all they could focus on was the person in front of them that made hearts shine in their eyes. It was never meant for war torn veterans with a religious fueled agenda still in the works, unbeknownst to everyone who fully considered the Seeds apart of the community.

Jacob still remembers the betrayal he saw in Pratt’s eyes when he was captured, yanked from a burning helicopter to be shoved to the ground on the floors of the church that was built way back when that never arose any suspicions.

In his mind he was doing the younger man a favor by taking him in, by raising his voice with a curt nod to Joseph that he’ll take Deputy Pratt. He avoided Staci’s eyes when he spoke, not wanting to see the confusion there, or the hurt at using such a distancing name when pet names fell off his lips so easily before this whole mess.

Staci was scared from the beginning. Jacob could tell. And he couldn’t blame him. Staci didn’t know about the kind of man Jacob would become when he was leading his soldiers. He wasn’t aware of how mean he could be, that he was merciless when he wanted.

So when they passed by all those cages, Jacob’s heart tugged in pain at how Staci shuffled closer to him. Trembling and so scared.

He decided he didn’t like the look of fear on Staci’s face.

*****

  
“I...I don’t understand.”

Jacob shifted on his feet, arms moving to cross over his chest. He kept his face carefully blank. “You need somewhere to sleep Pratt.”

“Yeah.” He agreed shakily, probably fearful that any show of refusal meant that this present would be yanked out from under him. “Why?”

Jacob’s lips twitched beneath his beard, he bit down on his tongue for half a second, “Why do you need somewhere to sleep?” It was a joke, something sarcastic and stupid that he would have said months ago when they were lying in bed and turning into something more than friends with benefits.

For a moment he forgot their respective roles and let the Jacob that Staci knew peak out.

It made Staci blink at him, a quizzical look coming over his face as he shook his head slowly. “Why aren’t I locked up. Or..or, starved. Training, like your brother said.”

He didn’t have an answer to that. At least not one that he could tell Staci. So instead he crossed the room--so large and way more luxurious than what any other prisoner was given--to grab at his neck and pull him in close until their chests collided.

Jacob kissed him. Ran his teeth down his neck hungrily before throwing him backwards onto the bed. “This ain’t all for your benefit Pratt, m’not that nice.” He laughed cruelly, a sound that made Pratt curl in on himself. “I’m sure you got your uses locked up in here, away from prying eyes.”

Jacob hated to lie to them both. It made his gut churn from what could have been.


	36. Please Stay (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob and Rook have had a consistent series of one night stands going for a while now. Though in Jacob's opinion, she leaves a little too soon. He thinks he wants something more from what they started

She was already up and out of bed, stealing her warmth as she crossed his office bare. Her feet padded against the tiled floor, oh so quiet as she got dressed. Bending over and offering him one last delicious view before she moved towards the window she came through an hour ago.

He kept silent, watching her gather her things and avoid his eyes.

She said she’d never do this again--that was a month ago. He saw the guilt all over her face after she came that very first time they laid together. Scrambling to get off his dick like his fingertips on her hips were hurting her and not the gentle presence he forced them to be.

That guilt was mostly gone now. Replaced with disgust for herself. Jacob Seed wasn’t a man of pity, so he pushed that foreign feeling down to toss his head back against the pillows. He stretched, a groan pulling free before he clambered out of bed well before she had a chance to leave.

That was new.

A change in what their routine had become. It caught her attention, had her frozen with her breasts only partially covered with her dirty shirt.

“What? Up for round two, Rook? Standing there like that still exposed.”

She huffed, yanking down her shirt with an air of annoyance. Her boots were yanked on with her leaning against the wall, already fiddling with the latch of his window, ready to leave, almost looking scared at what he was doing up and about when he always rolled over to sleep. Maybe, and only maybe, barking out at her when to meet him again, knowing she’d come back to him. Expecting her for a visit whenever she damn well pleased.

Now he was wandering around his tiny kitchen, still naked, not bothering to be ashamed of the moonlight accenting his skin when she’s seen it all. With his back to her, his fingers fumbled with the way too expensive coffee maker that stood out of place in his barren room. She didn’t see how he was shaking, that he was clumsy in how he moved.

“Want some coffee ‘fore ya go?”

“Jacob.” Her voice was quiet. He had a feeling it wasn’t for the sake of making sure no one heard her. It sounded tired. He was tempted to ask her to rest before she ran off back to his brother’s region.

He bit down on his words when he heard her lifting her bag off the ground with a grunt. Only half turning to watch her movements.

“Don’t do that, Jacob.”

“Do what?”

“Make this into something.” She paused, climbing out his window, moving the fuck away from this subject. “It’s not. We’re just fucking.”

He laughed, hid his disappointment by turning back around and pressing a few buttons. “And this is just coffee.” He held up a steaming cup, sliding one onto the table, praying and hoping she’d be decent enough to pull the other half of her body back into his room to grab the cup before it slid off the desk, and she wasn’t even--

She watched it fall. Didn’t say a damn thing as the mug glided past maps and documents before spilling all over the floor.

Rook left. No words--as per their usual. It was the same as every other night. So why did he feel sorry for himself?

*****

“Leaving?” His hand trailed over her hip, up her ribs to brush over ticklish skin. It had her wiggling away from him, close to falling off the bed. It gave him an excuse to pull her in close to his chest. “Already?”

“Were you planning on doing something else?” She curled into him, head resting on his sternum. She feigned interest, a hand pressing flat to his skin.

“Nah.”

The silence that stretched out was awkward, and he couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out why.

Rook stood, pushing away at his groping hands with a laugh, like this was some kind of joke. There was a swell of anger inside him, bubbling up and directed more at himself then at her. Because he wanted her, there was no way he could hate her for not realizing that his intentions were no longer directed at exploring her body.

He got out of bed again, slumping over with hunched shoulders. Head tipped down as he listened to her change.

“What? Don’t like to watch the show anymore?”

Jacob bit the inside of his cheek. Lifting his shoulders up to shrug.

“Jacob.”

He kept his head down, willing her to leave. To just walk out like she had been doing since every single time they finished. She surprised him when she pulled him in for one last kiss before she left for the night, it was the closest they’ve ever got to saying goodbye. It made his heart pound too fast, making him feel like a young man again.

*****

“You’ve gone quiet.”

“Just thinking.”

Rook paused, pushing away from where she was knelt between his legs, and no, that made panic rise in his chest. So he was wrapping his legs around her lower back to pull her down, jerking his head towards his cock, still resting hard against his stomach.

She smoothed her hand up his thigh, avoiding where her mouth had been moments before. “Never been distracted before.” She observed softly, taking it too personally judging from the faraway look in her eyes.

He felt more hollow than ever when he came, uncaring as she went the extra mile to swallow his seed despite complaining about the taste months ago.

Jacob leaned on the wall, near the window that was practically hers, wanting to stop her before she left. Hoping to make that kiss something they could add into the routine.

“Jacob.” She had a hand on his shoulder, rubbing the scars littered there. Waiting until he looked at her. “Coffee?”

That caught him off guard, had him floundering for something to say. Eventually he settled for a bland, “Yeah.”

Another thing that became apart of their schedule. They fucked in the dead of night, he made them coffee as she showered and they sat in such peaceful silence, with her bidding him a farewell kiss like they were forbidden lovers. Once she fell asleep in his lap with her head resting beneath his chin.

He held her close in a bear hug, almost unwilling to let her go when she woke in a panic, angry that he hadn’t woken her up so she could leave before the sun rose.

He wasn’t sorry, so he didn’t apologize.

Rook didn’t see him next week, or the week after that, or the next. Then two months went by until she saw him again. Making coffee instead of pulling him into bed when she slipped inside quietly.

It was uncomfortable, going by the smile hanging on the corners of her lips, she knew that.

“I spoke to John.”

He rose an eyebrow at that, unspeaking as he sipped the too sweet coffee she gave him. “Any new tattoos?”

“No.” She laughed--he loved that sound--“No, it wasn’t that kind of talk. Actually, it wasn’t about me.”

He stayed quiet, letting her get halfway through her drink before she decided to speak again. “It was about you.” She paused, waiting to see his reaction, shaking her head when he didn’t prod. “He invited me for dinner, did you know that man can cook? Surprised the shit outta me.”

“Your point, deputy.”

Her mug clattered into the sink when she tossed it, striding confidently towards him with a sway in her hips. “My point,” She let her fingers travel across his jaw, “Is that he had some interesting things to say about you. About how you’ve been acting weird. So distant recently. Distracted too. I got chewed out by your baby brother, him thinking that I’ve done something awful to you.”

“Haven’t you?” Jacob wrangled a forearm across her lower back to pull her close, he bent down to nip at her neck angrily.

“No. I don’t think so. Neither did John once we were done talking. He’s got some theories. As do I.”

Jacob snorted, “What would those theories be?”

“He says you love me. That your actions may not be as lustful as he thought. Then Joseph said something about us living out our years together through the Collapse with children of our own and I sorta lost interest.”

Jacob’s eyes had grown wide throughout her speil, literally reeling back to listen to what she was saying. “You’ve been thinking about this for how long?”

“Two weeks. Figured you’d come running if you really loved me, but then John reminded me that you’re...well, you.” She smiled up at him, kissing at his lips with a softness he hasn’t felt in years. “You gotta tell me what you want from this Jacob. If this isn’t just fucking.”

“Coffee.”

Her mouth opened, then closed, eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

“Kidding. It was a joke.”

She nodded once, “I wasn’t.” There was something sincere in her eyes, something he couldn't place. That made him glance over his shoulder towards his bed. Thinking of the kind of thing he’s wanted to do since he felt the first stirring of those foreign feelings in his gut.

“How do you feel about cuddling, deputy?”


	37. Burnt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob gets burned and Rook tends to it

She didn’t even know he had been following her, apparently trailing her for what had been miles back ever since she crossed county lines and was foolish enough to appear on his radar.

At least Rook didn’t know until she tossed an explosive on one of his beacons meant to trap wolves and she heard a blood curdling scream. It shook Rook right to her core, afraid for a second that some helpless civilian got caught in the blast from wandering too close and she didn’t have the foresight to check the area. That one would be hard to explain to Eli.

She was quick on her feet, running around the debris of metal to help whoever she just injured. Apologies already on her tongue, radio unclipped from her belt, ready to call anyone near the radio in the Wolf’s Den, about to tell them to scrounge up whatever medical supplies they had left for the poor man who was cursing up a storm.

Her eyes landed on a bright red tuft of hair. A man was squirming under the metal that had gone flying, hissing through clenched teeth and patting at his jeans furiously. From the smoke rising where his hand laid on his thigh, she could assume what happened.

Jacob was trapped, legs--not broken, he bit out at her when she asked--twisted under hunks of heavy rubble that made it safe for her to come closer.

He filled her in then and there, let her know how he had been watching her, trying to rattle her she guessed. And it worked. Made her angry too, had her itching to take a swing at him when he was down.

Instead she set to work, crouched down beside him with pointed eyes on his frayed jeans, frayed only because of the fire that must’ve latched onto him.

“That was stupid of you.” She said softly, batting away his hands to press down on his skin, already feeling hot to the touch. Maybe a third degree burn, she wasn’t a doctor. However bad it was, it was enough to have him writhing when she moved fast to cut a hole in his jeans, it was bad to the point where his skin was peeling off into her hands.

She jerked back, surprised at the burning flesh now on the ground along with the laugh he gave.

He leaned back on his elbow, head tilted towards the sky as his eyes slipped close. “Just another to add to the collection, huh?” He waved her off when she scrambled to peek inside her bag for anything that might make the situation less worse than it already was. “Don’t bother. No reason to.” He held up his forearm, as if that was enough of a point for her to not treat his skin.

“You could get an infection.” It was a weak defense, especially when her voice sounded so breathless. But it did seem to sway him, had him wince and groan in annoyance under his breath.

“That’d suck.”

She shook her head in disbelief, surprised on how a man who’s trademark was what a survivalist he claimed to be, was taking this whole thing on the chin. “No point in having to deal with that.” She moved quick to drag out a heap of medical supplies she’s raided from various houses in Hope County. Head tipped down to focus on the exposed flesh of his thigh and not his probing gaze.

“No point in having to deal with the injury? Or the scarring that’d come after?”

“Both.” She answered curtly, pausing in her movements when he sucked in air from the pain. “Can’t see why you’d want more scars.”

“Never said I did.” It came out as a whisper, almost like he was offended and considering walking off. “If this shit happened to you--someone so young--I’d bother with this mess.” He gestured to the gauze and cream she had balanced in her hands. “You’d wanna stop something fresh from gaining something that would mar it for good.”

“But you’re Jacob Seed and you deserve this?”

“No.” He laughed, tipping his head back to look up at the sky. “No, but I’m already ruined. Destroyed so to speak. No point, not like you can reverse this damage.” Once again he brandished her arm for her to see. Going as far as to brush his fingers along his cheek to draw her attention to the burns there.

“I’d like to think they’re important.” She glanced up at him, returning back to the task at hand when the look he gave her was one she didn’t want to face. “They tell a story, make you who you are.” She pulled back from him, forcing herself not to apologize for ripping a hole in his jeans. She shouldn’t have to remind herself that he was the enemy.

This moment between them was strange, it didn’t mean anything though. It wouldn’t if she just ignored it.

So she stood on shaking legs, brushing dirt off her pants and rubbing behind her neck to work away tense muscles. For a fleeting moment she thought about showing him her own scars. The ones she put on herself years ago that made criss cross lines on her thighs and upper arms, or the ones dotting her upper back in irregular circles that were raised and an ugly pink despite gaining them when she was just a kid.

She sighed, long and slow. Surprising them both by offering a hand to help him up. She wasn’t much help, so much smaller than him, unable to really lift him when he was pure muscle. The thought was there though, it even had him flash something she dared to call a smile.

“You’re gonna remind me of this next time I have you.”

Rook laughed, rocking back on her heels, already heading in the opposite direction. She hummed confirmation, saluting him as if she was a soldier. “Yep. You’re not living this down.” She clicked her tongue in joy when he gave her a confused glance. “Sweet and tender Jacob who has a heart. It’s a nice change.”

Then she was gone, disappearing back into the wild before he could take aim at her for saying such a thing.


	38. Strength In A Mate (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob captures Rook and expresses his ideals on needing a strong mate

Rook was getting sloppy. Maybe he caught her on a bad day. Or she was off her game. Growing weaker as their time apart increased. She was strong inside his cages, despite her outward appearance. With her dirty on the ground, covered in her own piss and blood; not all her own considering how often he pitted her against enemies by the dozen.

But oh boy, she was strong. She let him see that, that monster that laid inside her. John always pointed out how the sinner’s going through atonement who had Wrath deep in their hearts, written out on their skin, made the best soldiers. They were always angry about something. It drove them. Jacob had the privilege of seeing that first hand.

He was proud, once upon a time. When she mowed down men, making her own little one man army. That was then, this was now. From where he was standing, he could see she was slipping. Losing that spark that drew him to her for very different reasons than Joseph had.

He’d like to think the reason he was reaching for a bliss arrow with confidence was because he wanted her to only be stronger. With her purpose dealt with, a proper sacrifice made, his training was made obsolete. Joseph told him to step back, that they couldn’t lose Rook. She was important if they were to build a New Eden. So Faith stayed away lest Rook was turned into a drugged mutant. John waited eagerly for orders bound to come when Rook crawled to them as broken and dejected as she was. Jacob was expected to be just as loyal.

He would tell Joseph he was taking her in for safe keeping before she self destructed.

Because she was spiraling fast after the death of Eli. Maybe that’s why she didn’t hear him trailing after her.

The arrow ended up sliding through the air to find a snug home in the meat of her calf. A little low, but it would work just fine. Everyone would be happy at the end of the day. Joseph would--eventually--have Rook join his side, and Jacob could have his play thing fulfill other purposes where she didn’t have a gun in her hand.

*****

“Wakey wakey.”

Jacob watched her with rapt attention. Saw the way consciousness slowly returned as the bliss exited her body and her eyes became clear. He saw the exact moment she realized she was all tied up, naked, with him seated on her lap like a large house cat.

He snorted when she struggled.

“Shoulda killed you when I had the chance. Tammy said I’d regret it.” She shook her head, tossed it to the side so she didn’t have to look him in the eyes.

“Regret this? Naw, that won’t happen.” Jacob trailed his hands down her waist, gripped tight to the natural curve of her body like he was afraid she’d disappear beneath him. “We’re not training today. Or anytime soon, actually. We’re done with that, sweetheart. So wipe that look off your face.”

Her eyes were wide, expecting. Legs squirming on the sheets from how he didn’t tie that part of her to the bed.

“Then what do you want? Another talk with Joseph?”

“God no.” Jacob laughed something that sounded genuine, folding over for a second. Hair hanging in his eyes that brushed over a peaked nipple. “He doesn’t know you’re here. Not yet. I’ve got big plans for you before he has a say in this.” He laid a light kiss to her flesh, growing cold from the lack of clothes. “Been thinkin’ of your future.”

“How thoughtful.”

Despite the malice in her voice and raging in her eyes, he felt the way she was trembling. As if the conditioning ran so deep that just his presence had an effect on her. If becoming a soldier was still her purpose he’d be flattered.

Instead his mind was somewhere else.

“I try, deputy.” He shifted, moving slow when his weight was too much and he saw her wince. “I really do care about you. The thing is, I’d be a fool to let you slip through my fingers. I can’t take that chance, not after seeing how strong you are, I need someone like that with me. For as long as I’ve got the pleasure of living out my years.”

“I’m not gonna kill anyone else for you. I’m done!”

“Figured you’d say that. But you don’t got much of a choice here. I’m only doing this for you. You’ll be safe with me, I’ll keep you safe. Right here.”

Rook’s eyes dipped closed. Halfway there to accepting. Her muscles never fully relaxed though. “What makes you think I won’t run? Or fight for that matter?”

Jacob leaned down again, a kiss at her neck, peppered across her jaw then teeth nipping at her earlobe. Tugging until she bucked up into him. Right where he was bulging in his jeans.

“You will. But with a kiddie and a husband tying you down...I bet I can tame you, Kitten.”

Her eyes popped open just like that, snapping up to find his own hardened gaze searing into her. Her mouth opened and closed. Once, twice. Looking for words that wasn’t about to come anytime soon. Her eyebrows furrowed, confusion settling in the pit of her stomach that canceled out all fear for the time being.

“Joseph’s orders?” She guessed, a sneer in her voice even as Jacob began to undress. “He wants a new Seed heir for the collapse?”

“Yeah, I guess I can spin it that way when I break the news.”

“Wait--” His hand clapped over her mouth, keeping her silent as he tugged off his under shirt and squirmed out of his jeans. His cocked jumped out enthusiastically when he yanked off his boxers, tossing them somewhere she couldn’t track.

“I think you’ll make a perfect mother, and wife for the matter. It all works out. You see, without a purpose to drive you, you’ve gone soft. Right up here.” He tapped at her temple mockingly. “Not even sure you wanna fight this, you know this life would be better than the one you’re trying to build for yourself.”

Rook didn’t have that much pride, not enough to deny him. Maybe before she might, before Jacob fucked over her mind, turned it against her like a nuclear bomb. Not that she made it easy. She nailed him good in the jaw when he moved between her legs, it was discoordinated from the bliss, but it was enough to make him recoil, stunned for half a second.

She kicked him hard in the gut a second later, trying to knock him off the bed and failing miserably.

“Can’t fathom why you’re fighting. Pride, maybe. Or...or something else. I dunno.” He shook his head regretfully. Kissing her inner thigh, trailing up until he could bury his head into her folds. Licking noisily almost immediately, like a man starved. He took and took and took. Running teeth down the side of her clit, making unwanted pleasure buzz through her body. He was making her body sing, already working her over better than any past lovers.

She came with a loud whine, a groan pulled free as he continued with the stroke of his tongue. Making her clit pulse something awful. Until her legs were shaking around his head and she was begging for mercy.

He laughed at her, straightening his back and wiping at his beard. Shoving away her juices that clung to his beard.

“C’mon. Let’s finish this, huh? Then I’ll get the both of us clean, treat us to a nice meal, and you’ll ride out the rest of your life in my arms with a child on your hip.”

He had a smile on his face. Something cloudy in his eyes as he spoke. Like he could already imagine such a fallacy coming true before him. “Life’ll be good for once.” Then he was bottoming out inside her. Stretching her wide around his cock with no prep. Going balls deep like it was his job. Shoving inside and bucking his hips. Putting his hands under her ass to pull her in closer, to encourage her to move with him.

Not that she did. He didn’t get that from her, he didn’t deserve it.

“You’ll do such a great job.” His thrusts got faster, rougher. Until her cervix began to ache and she felt her stomach stir with interest again.

He must’ve felt her tighten up around him, urging him to finish inside her. Because suddenly his hand had fallen to her clit. To stroke in a sloppy pattern. It did the trick. Made her cum a second time with too sensitive nerves egging him on.

It was enough for him. A second later he was finishing without pulling out. Jamming in until their hips clinked together. He stayed like that, eyes closed and chest heaving like he just ran a marathon.

“God, you’re good, huh? We’ll make a good family.”

“Babies don’t just happen. Ever think about this not working the first time around? Or about my birth control?” She gave a smile, the first one he’s seen since she gunned down Eli. It was cynical, one that screamed victory.”

Jacob froze, going still with eyes tracking her face. Then dropping down to where an IUD stood out on her bicep. He traced it with a careful finger. “We’ll just do it again and again. As for that….well...I know a man who peels skin on the regular off so many unwilling people. Hold tight honey, I’ll call him right now for ya since you’re so eager.”


	39. Piss Kink [1] (NSFW)

From everything she’s heard since she stepped foot into the North, Jacob wasn’t a man to be fucked with. He wasn’t as kind or merciful as his brothers and sister. And yet she had the gall to tease him, taunting the big bad wolf over the radio, laughing when he didn’t respond.

She was itching to tell her friends how Jacob wasn’t so scary.That he backed off easy enough with a few choice words with the removal of an outpost. Then an arrow impaled her thigh the moment she wandered too far from the F.A.N.G Center, it made her mind go hazy and blank before she had the chance to call out for help.

How she got here, tied up on the ground of a bare room staring down Jacob himself, she couldn’t say. The arrow probably was drenched in bliss, filling her system with drugs. Making her complicit to whatever he wanted to do with her.

And he wanted...actually she couldn’t figure that part out. He wouldn’t say. Just droned on about how much trouble she had been, that she wasn’t as strong as she thought she was. That she was in no way a hero.

“Are you listening, honey?” Suddenly he was crouched down in front of her, hands brushing over her jaw, deceptively kind in both touch and gaze. He looked sympathetic.

“I--I can’t focus.”

That had him snorting, she guessed she surprised him. That not many people dared to admit their attention was elsewhere when he was in the room.

“Oh yeah? And why’s that?” His fingers twirled a strand of her hair around and around until it curled, bouncing slightly. “What do I gotta do to make this more interesting?”

“I just--Nothing. It’s not, like, you or anything.” She swallowed, wincing at how she couldn’t string together her words. Then, in a much softer voice, spoken as if someone else was in the room, “I, um, I need to go.”

The last part brought a flush spreading across her cheeks and up to her ears as she dipped her head down to avoid his eyes.

“Go?” He teased, “Go where?”

She rolled her neck, forcing out the tension. Trying, an failing, to work up even a shred of courage despite her next words ridding her of all her dignity. “I need to pee.” She clarified. Shuffling uncomfortably where she sat, legs aching to be drawn up to her chest as a loose form of protection, unable to because of how close Jacob was. In her face with his feet planted on either side of her thighs. Forcing her legs to straighten.

“Well then, go on. I’m not stopping you. No one else is here, you’ve got your privacy.”

Her mouth opened, closing shortly after. She couldn’t argue with him. It wasn’t in her nature. So her mouth clamped shut, tears threatening to spill at the mere thought of not having the right to use the bathroom.

Jacob stood with a sigh, his hands folded over his chest. He gave her a once over, making her squirm. When she lifted her legs to curl up, his foot came down suddenly. Crushing her knee caps in the process.

“I’m not gonna force ya, but I imagine you can’t hold it forever. Gonna get real uncomfortable.”

Then Jacob was turning around. Taking a seat at his office chair like nothing was happening. As if she wasn’t sitting in a corner in his room with her hands tied painfully tight behind her back.

Her eyes remained shut, head down as she breathed in and out of her mouth slowly. Trying to not pay any mind to the growing pain in her lower stomach. It was more than uncomfortable. It was excruciating. A building pressure tingling around in her gut.

She doubled over, as if that would make things better. It only put more pressure on her bladder, making a small whine escape her lips.

“We getting close?”

When she looked up Jacob had a smile tugging his lips up. Looking smug. As if he already won this fight. “Please.”

He laughed, standing to stalk near to her. “Please what? What are you asking for?”

“I need to use the bathroom.” She licked her lips, eyes darting over to the half open door where she knew the toilet was. “Please.”

“You’re nothing special. What gives you that kind of privilege?” He laughed at her blank expression. “Starting to get impatient here.” The tip of his boot ghosted over her crotch, spreading her legs slightly when she shifted away from him. “C’mon now, it’ll feel so much better.”

Rook knew he was right. That once that pressure popped, everything would be okay. She fooled herself into thinking that. For a moment she believed it.

“Can’t.”

“Yeah, you can.” He almost sounded sympathetic.

Her head fell against his cocked knee, her cheek nuzzled in there, strangely seaking out comfort. A few beats of silence went by where all she could hear was her own labored breathing. And, of course, the smallest noise of her soiling her jeans. Ruining the fabric and the material of Jacob’s boot along with it as he increased the pressure he put on her.

If she wasn’t so humiliated she’d be proud of that fact. That his shoe was a minor casualty to this. Instead she furled in on herself, at least as much as he would allow with his foot still jammed against her core. Trapping her where she sat to wait it out until her bladder was empty.

Which took too long. With Jacob’s prying eyes on her, it made that moment seem like it was stretching out for eternity. Until the floor beneath her was soaked and her pants were darker than they should be.

Even after it was said and done, there was still the smell. Nothing came close to it, anyone for miles would be able to identify the putrid, acidic mess she made of herself. That thought might’ve been what pushed her over the edge, or maybe it was Jacob--who was wearing a smile that almost looked soothing. Whatever the case, it had her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. Fat, ugly tears that were the furthest thing from silent.

“Aw, Kitten. What’s wrong?” When he bent at the waist, his weight shifted, still pushing down on her. “Though you just needed to piss? Now what’s bothering you?”

His finger crooked under her chin, forcing her to look at him through the tears. She hushed up as much as she could. Fearing what he would do, how he would punish her if she dared to annoy him.

“There we go, see? We’re fine. It doesn’t hurt so much now, does it?”

She shook her head, a slow moving shake proving just how dazed she was. Jacob chuckled at that, patted her cheek in faux affection that she still pressed into like a lifeline. But he couldn’t let it go, he prodded when he saw her shift, when he noticed how she cringed at the feel of her panties clinging tight to her cunt.

Rook explain when his boot moved from her lower stomach to directly between her legs. “It’s uncomfortable.”

“So I’m told.” And just like that the sympathy was gone, he was rising, pulling away and moving his weight with him. The smallest of reprieves even long after he sat down at his desk.

“Rook?”

He didn’t look up, not even when her response was just a whimper.

“If you disobey me again, if I even need to be the one to push you like that, I’ll make it a public affair. We clear?”

“Y-yes, sir.”


	40. Edging (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook captures Jacob, ties him to a chair, and edges him until furious and breaks out, taking his revenge on her

When they first called Rook and told her they had a present for her, she never thought it’d be something as grand as this. She had been given clothes and shoes and money and every sort of thing people could think of to properly thank her. But never before had she been gifted something that made her taste victory on the tip of her tongue.

“Oh Jacob.” She cooed gently, mockingly as everyone exited the room to leave them alone. “What happened to you? You off your game old man?”

The laugh he gave was strained as he hunched over, his poker face slipping for half a second. And if not for the overbearing table side lamp Tammy had flicked on, Rook would have missed it. He was in pain. Not physically wounded per se. Maybe a kick or two to the ribs. Or, from the way he could barely shift in the lousy metal chair they place him in, she’d assume some Whitetail had gotten quite the laugh from giving him a swift kick between the legs.

Oh that thought made her smile. If anyone deserved such a thing, it’d be him. After everything he’s done, all the pain he’s inflicted on Hope County’s people, he deserved so, so much. He tortured people, broke into their minds and put them through so much humiliation.

Rook tipped her head to the side like a curious animal as she watched over him. She had an idea. Some sort of payback that was totally selfish if she was being honest. This wasn’t to get information out of him, this wasn’t in self defense because he was dirty and tied up. This was purely for revenge.

And since he was so intent on humiliating people, on making them less than human, she figured she could manage to do the same.

“You don’t look too good? Do you need a doctor Jacob?”

“M’not in the mood for games.” Spoken through clenched teeth. Through what she assumed was pain as he tried to cross his legs despite them being tied to the chair.

“You sure? You look like you’re in pain.”

Jacob smiled at her, switching back to that tough soldier as soon as she pointed out any sort of weakness in his facade. “That kid, the braided one that follows Eli around like a loyal puppy, I guess he doesn’t like me very much.” He chuckled, head tipped back, exposing his throat as he closed his eyes. “Kicked me pretty good.”

Rook thought so.

“Want me to take a look, make sure you can still carry on your Seed legacy with only the strongest genes?” She took careful steps towards him, bending at the waist with a hand grabbing at his neck to force their eyes together. “That is unless you’re not already impotent. Old age can do that to a man.” She patted his cheek just as he bared his teeth and she got to her knees.

When he spoke next she had already managed to get rid of his belt, she was working on popping his button and working down the zipper. “Trust me honey, I can do plenty in the bedroom. No one’s ever complained. Though if you don’t believe me…”

She glanced up, eyebrows arched high into her hairline. She let out a puff of air as she struggled working his jeans down his thighs. Noticing how he didn’t seem adverse to her actions, that he even attempted to lift himself up to help her.

She just didn’t exactly expect him to be lacking boxers, or really any sort of material under his jeans. The childish part of her was tempted to ask if his dick was okay, if his skin was chafed from the constant friction. The sudden shot of warmth moving through her stomach is what stopped her speech as she took in the sight of his dick.

He was uncut, which didn’t surprise her. His parents didn’t seem the type to want to ‘emasculate’ their boys. His pubic hair was shades darker than the one on his head, making her snort as she caught his eyes. “Guess the carpet doesn’t match the drapes, huh?”

Jacob snarled, bucking his hips, legs kicking from where they were bound by his ankles. “Watch your tongue deputy.”

“You’re not really in any position to be making threats.”

Her hand moved to trail a finger across his balls, cupping them gently just to see him squirm. With her gaze locked downward, she could avoid his angry eyes when she spoke next, “It’s like a fucking forest down here. Someone should give you a trim.”

“I swear to god if you put anything sharp near my cock…”

Rook laughed. The power going right to her head as she inched her hand upwards to grab onto his shaft. He was fucking large, her hand was barely able to grasp him fully.

She slowly moved her hand up, swirling in his precum to reduce the drag. After all, she wanted him to enjoy this. And he was, if his tiny growls were anything to go by. His head had long since tipped forward, curled hair obscuring his eyes.

“Untie me.”

Her teeth dug into her bottom lip at his demand, unwilling to look at him. Because she knew she would listen to him, that the lust in his eyes would mirror her own and she would create wonderful scenarios of what he could do to her if she just gave him the chance. Instead she ignored his demand, twisting her wrist wickedly, making his hips jerk up into her fist.

“Dep--”

“Fucking calm down Jacob.” Her mouth ghosted over his cockhead, tongue flicking out to tease him. Not getting close enough to allow him to slip his dick past her lips.

The muscles in his stomach tensed, thighs going rigid as his breathing picked up minutely. But in the small room, it was easy to track everything, to tell when he was close. The first time she drew back, denying his release, it was beautiful. He cursed, angry and loud, fingers flexing behind him. Struggling like he really thought he could break through rope.

Rook risked looking at him, smiling at how wrecked he already was. He moaned when she started back up, mouth finally wrapped around his head, sucking softly just to hear how good he sounded.

Then she pulled back, hands falling limp in her lap.

He was above begging, Teeth clenched, bared to her like he was a wild animal. She could do this for hours and he would never ask for it. Which was fine with her--she was enjoying herself. She liked the weight of a cock on her tongue, she loved the feeling of it sliding down her throat and the brief worry of being choked when there was a lack of air getting through.

She never let his dick move down her throat though, not caring to take him even halfway. Intent on making him squirm. He was panting when she pulled off his dick with a wet pop. She was almost tempted to finish him off with her hand, there would be such satisfaction knowing that he was yearning for more. But it’d be even better if she just left him to suffer.

Rook stood with a faux groan, stretching, throwing her arms wide with a yawn. She risked leaning forward to ruffle Jacob’s hair, pulling back just in time to notice how when he strained towards her, that he seemed a little too close. Like his restraints suddenly wasn’t as tight.

She had exactly five seconds to get that thought across before Jacob fucking lunged at her. His legs were still bound, but that really didn’t seem to matter when he dragged her to the floor right with him. He was strong enough to keep her body rooted in place with only the use of his hands.

With one hand placed painfully on her ribs, he kept her still, while he stretched to hastily undo the ropes locking his ankles into place. Instantly he was on top of her, chest against her back. A large hand keeping her mouth shut just as she uttered a sharp cry.

There was a few seconds spent in utter silence, where all she heard was his heavy breathing and her tiny whimpers. Both their eyes were locked on the door, waiting to see of anyone was close enough to hear her plea for help.

“You gonna stay quiet for me?”

Her teeth sinking into his fingers was enough of an answer. He snarled at her, nipping at her earlobe, before grinding into her ass. She could feel exactly what he wanted to bring attention to.

“I ain’t got time for games dep.” Then he was scrambling to yank off her jeans and panties with one hand. Keeping her mouth shut firmly. With a swift motion on his part she suddenly tasted her own enjoyment on her panties as he shoved it past her lips. She was already soaked, and he must’ve saw that when he drew back enough to glance between her legs because he let out a small impressed whistle. “You enjoy teasing me that much?”

If she could answer his question, she might have the audacity to deny it. All she could do was sink her teeth into the cloth of her panties, and her muffled screams didn’t do much, only serving to make him more impatient.

The way his hands tightened around her hips as he forced her on her knees, ass raised, was enough of a warning to follow his command.

“I should make you beg for it,” he mumbled, head tilted as he watched his cock slide against her folds. “Make you desperate until your suffering.” His voice shook as she leaned back against him slightly, his cockhead just barely slipping inside. He was hanging on by a thread, and all thoughts of revenge went right out the window as heat pooled in his lower stomach.

He was close, still riding off of the high she gave him.

Jacob pushed in surprisingly slow, wanting to at least get a few thrusts in before he came. He snarled when he bottomed out, feeling how her walls clenched around him despite being so tight already.

The sound that filled the room was obscene, one of skin hitting skin as he rutted into her. Acting as if she was nothing more than a toy for him to play with. Even if she fought him, even if she didn’t enjoy him inside her, he wouldn’t have to say he cared. He was chasing his own pleasure. Eyes slamming shut as he leaned over her, pushing her to the cement floor as his hands wrapped around her waist to keep her in place.

Not like she was going anywhere. The moans she let out, tiny little mewls that pushed his end along quicker was evidence of that.

His dick throbbed inside her, aching as he pulled out only leaving his head inside. It made everything inside his twinge with need. One last time he rocked into her, hands pulling her back against him as he came. Uncaring that he should’ve have the foresight to not release inside her. His head was downed, hair hanging in his eyes as he watched her whimper beneath him.

It clicked all at once, how she was grinding against the floor, bucking back against his softening cock and crying out at how he pulled away. He laughed, grabbing her upper arms to yank her into his lap, “Oh, what’s the matter?” he teased, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did ya wanna cum?”

Rook buried her head in his neck, hand dropping between her legs to toy with her clit. “No, no, no, none of that.” His hand wrapped around her wrist, squeezing so tight she was afraid he might snap her bones in two. “You’re gonna get off when I say. On my terms, and the only way that’s happening is on my turf.”

She nodded, scrambling to spit out her panties as an afterthought as she panted out her words. “T-tonight. I can get you out tonight.”

Jacob smiled, showing off sharp canines, making her stomach roll. “That’s my good girl,” he praised, a hand coming to rest on the nape of her neck, “You’re gonna get what’s coming to you though, you’re not off the hook sweetheart. I can promise you that.”


	41. Eloping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joseph decides Jacob and Rook need to get married, Jacob hates the idea but ends up loving it

“It’s for the best Jacob.”

“Yeah? For who?” He glanced back at Joseph, almost forgetting to hide his harsh glare. “Certainly not me.”

“When have I ever not had your best interests in mind?”

He couldn’t cover up the way he cringed at his brother’s word, just hearing his softly spoken tone that was so Joseph--had him feeling like shit in an instant. Jacob had to turn away, focus on the maps pinned up on his wall instead of Joseph’s accusing eyes. They all had to make sacrifices in their life, they all went through hell to get to where they are today.

Joseph saved his life. More than once. Joseph put up with his bullshit for years, and he wanted to play the role of the pissy older brother?

“Sorry...that was--” Uncalled for? Stupid? Arrogant? None of that seemed to totally encompass how awful he had been. “I’m sorry Joe.”

Joseph, bless him, only smiled. Going as far as to take slow steps until their eyes could lock and he could reach out to touch him. His hand felt heavy on Jacob’s shoulder, made him want to fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness.

Was he always this selfish?

“Just consider it Jacob.” Joseph whispered, neck craning to look outside, to see how the light from the sun made the rows of cages shine. Probably thinking of where Rook sat, huddled in a corner of one of those very cages, scared out of her mind. Waiting with anticipation for her first time in his hands.

“She’s the missing link in all this. We need her. You need her. More than you think.”

*****  
Rook was staring out at him like he lost his goddamn mind. Her eyes went wide, then they narrowed--go figure--his future bride didn’t trust him. It didn’t matter that he was yet to put her through the trials, that he wasn’t even starving her or depriving her of water. She’s heard stories.

And she’s been working with the resistance ever since she step foot in Hope County.

“It’s what Joseph wants.”

“Yeah?” She laughed, fingers tightening around the bars of her cage, “Guess I didn’t realize that you were his little puppet, that he has his fucking hand shoved up your ass.”

Jacob’s jaw flexed as he forced a half tilted smile. He wasn’t about to rise to the bait. She didn’t get to make him lose his temper. “It’d be easier if you’d accept it. Don’t have time to play games deputy, this needs to be as seamless as possible.”

For who, he still wasn’t sure. He just knew he didn’t want another headache to add to his responsibilities when this was a supposed God send.

“You don’t have any say in this Rook.” He crouched down, hands covering her own where they rested on the bars. “There’s no reason to fight me.”

Her lips twisted into something akin to disgust. Then she was reeling back, only to spit in his face a second later, laughing as he flinched, jerking back as he wiped off her saliva. He walked away while she was cursing at him as his men crowded her cage to grab her.

If it didn’t work out, he was sure John still wanted her, that he’d love to tame her wild soul more than Jacob ever would.

*****

She was fighting him so hard, and every day got a little worse. She pushed his buttons in the smallest amounts, not enough to garner punishment, but the things she did got under his skin. He told her--more than once--that she was being a petty brat, that she was only trying to get a rise out of him.

Rook smiled with teeth, leaning up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek in faux affection when he called her out, playing the role of newlyweds perfectly despite them being alone. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She patted his cheek with too much mockery behind the gesture before she strutted into his bathroom with a towel thrown over her arm, acting like she owed the place.

And he guessed she did. To an extent. That’s what Joseph said. What’s his is hers.

Which resulted in fight after fight of her scrambling to gain access to just about every part of the Veteran’s Center.

“Your soldiers can use your track to train, why can’t I?”

“Fresh coffee? The fancy kind too...me casa su casa Jacob.”

“You can’t have your cooks prepare you gourmet meals and leave me with fucking lukewarm soup.”

“I should sleep on your bed.” That made him pause when she suggested it, and he pointedly ignored her. Continued getting undressed as his eyes roved over his cot. There was an indent from where the springs were wearing thin from his weight over the years, his blankets smelled so distinctly of him, and he knew how he barely fit in it himself.

“We wouldn’t fit.”

She shrugged, following suit as she stripped her clothes off and made a beeline for his bed. “Speak for yourself.” Rook wiggled under the blankets, scooting until her shoulder met the cold, cement wall. “Your choice if you wanna join or sleep on the floor.”

He laughed, hands turning into fists quickly at the ease she developed just by being around him. Fine, she wanted to act confident, then he had no reason to dance around what their relationship was meant to be. After all, it’d be hard to ignore with their sudden proximity.

Which was a lot closer than he had anticipated.

She wasn’t facing him, thank god, he was sure that would be worse. But with her back to him, curled up in the fetal position, her ass was pressed too near to his cock. Brushing just barely against his loose boxers. And he could see curve, the way her hips formed a perfect dip.

His fingers twitched at where they rested on the minimal space between them. There was a chance--albeit small--that she was asleep.

Jacob reached out, wincing when the mattress creaked at how his weight shifted. That served to force her to roll towards him, head bumping against his chest loosely. Making him hope that she wasn’t this good at faking, that this wasn’t a secret they’d need to share if she was awake.

Because at this point, calling this something other than cuddling would be sinful. His forearm wrapped around her, fitting neatly into the curve of her lower back. His leg was thrown over her, keeping her locked in place like they were something more than what they really were.

He smelled her so strongly when he tucked his head into her neck, nose wrinkling at how her hair tickled his skin. She was soft, skin slipping on his sheets, curling towards him. Seaking out his warmth like she was a puppy. God, and the noises she made, soft tiny whimpers as she squirmed, unable to get truly comfortable.

Everything was intimate up this close. It was a kind of love that he never thought he’d ever have. He wasn’t going to let it slip away, that’s for sure. Even if he hated every other aspect of the relationship between them.

If all else failed, Jacob was sure of one thing, he adored cuddling. And he’d take that to the grave.


	42. Unfair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jacob sits there dying before the Deputy, he recalls everything he's done for her. All to make her stronger, and he realizes that he loves her and that even if he wasn't dying he would never be able to tell that to her and all she will ever feel for him is hate. And hate him she does.

It wasn’t fair.

Though life rarely was. Years of pain, hurt and torture, stumbling around like a man blinded showed him that much. But after all he’s been through, all that hell called living, this seemed like an ill suited ending. Dying on a hill far from his family--who were none the wiser this was happening--they had Christmas on their minds, they were planning for John’s birthday next week, they were ready to have dinner on the buck Jacob would bring home this Friday.

He fought for his brothers when their father took a whip to their skin, he fought for the country who tossed him out after being scarred beyond recognition when a bomb went off in the arms of his friend. He fought to build his family up again, to give them a steady foundation when he was convinced moving to Montana was a mistake.

This was the thanks he got after all he’s done? He wasn’t dying for what he wanted to, he could lie and tell himself this would protect Joseph, but it wouldn’t. Him bleeding out on a rock with Rook staring him down waiting for him to die or speak or lash out at her wouldn’t save the war heading for Joseph.

Rook stalked closer, unaware of his inner turmoil that he hid behind a practiced mask. She was strong, standing there looking unafraid, mouth turned down in a frown. She did her job beautifully. And it ripped him apart. Because he made her, he changed this woman and it had killed him.

He took her again and again, away from the resistance that called her a sister and a hero ready to turn marty if need be. He remembered cleary how scared she was that first time. When she was bound in a chair with two others, ready to start her trials and become something better than she ever thought possible.

In the beginning she stared at him like he was a god, eyes wide and bugged out as he leaned down to yank her chair closer. He wanted her to see him, to understand the gift he was giving her. She was never the same after that.

Everything he did was to make her stronger. Every trial, everytime he locked her in a cage devoid of food and water. Everytime he brought that damned music box back into her life.

He coughed, words wanting to bubble up before he was gone. She was closer now, crouched down between his knees, a hand on his shoulder to keep him from tipping over. He wanted to speak past the lump in his throat, to let her know why he chose that song for her.

Only you…

That, throughout time, that song took on a new meaning that made him feel something he shouldn’t.

It wasn’t love. He didn’t know what love was like besides the love that he felt for his brothers and sister. But he felt something. She was strong now, the kind of woman he wanted to stand beside him would now never know what had started to grow inside him.

“Good job deputy. Good fucking job. M’proud of you.” His words were slurred, head tilting downward, caught by her cupping his cheek like a lover might. Like his own wife did so fucking long ago that he could barely even conjure up one last image of her before he died.

Brown hair, highlighted in the sun Georgia offered up so willingly. Hazel eyes. Close to blue, like her mother’s and baby sister. Fair skin which was freckled all the way down to her naval. Voice soft and lilting, the kind that could sing lullabies to their children if he was ever so lucky--he never was. Her voice, one he didn’t remember clearly now, cracking and breaking when he ditched her after the war, after the atrocities he committed in battle. Him being scared she wouldn’t want the broken shell he was, that he was changed and not like the Jacob she married, but she was still so fucking worried that he wasn’t home and safe in her arms where she could soothe his cries.

He gave everything up and he was the only one to blame.

It was unfair. All of it. Up until his last breath, he knew how unfair this was. Maybe Rook did too, behind all that rage and the harsh sting of her fingers straying down to his throat, tightening, threatening to choke him. Maybe she never wanted her life to turn out this way.

It didn’t matter now. None of it would matter once he was gone. It’d be someone else’s problem. Probably Joseph’s. For that, he was sorry.


	43. Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and cuddles with Jacob, where Rook makes his heart go nuts with all the feels

Even from how far away she stood, she could see the tense trail of muscles along Jacob’s shoulders. How he snapped at anyone who got too close, hands tightening around the pen he held as he watched over the new recruits--willing ones this time.

She could easily wait until nightfall to soothe him. In the privacy of their office turned bedroom, she could take away his anxiety over the course of an hour with no one to see how he bared himself to her.

But he was close to breaking, she could tell. By now she could read him like only his brothers could. It was a gift that allowed her to reach out to him when he closed off to everyone around him, insisting, only a fool would, that he was fine. He would manage at the end of the day. She’s heard every excuse he could think of, and really she was starting to get sick of it.

Jacob had his mask down, expression staying stoic even when she stomped up to him, hands balled up into fists as if she had the strength to drag him away.

“Jacob.”

He grunted, eyes not straying from the makeshift boxing rink built into the mud around them. Brows scrunching as he watched one man get flipped onto his back and not get back up.

“I need you.”

His feet shifted, shuffling closer to her so his arm could brush along her shoulder. Offering up some kind of comfort when he was unwilling to break out of his shell for just a moment.

“Jacob c’mon--”

“Kinda busy Rook.”

“Ah yes, busy running yourself ragged. Just a hobby, right Jake?”

That garnered a tiny smile, his lips ticking up as he let out a puff of air that she would dare call a chuckle. “Exactly right. Glad you know me so well.” He turned to look at her, taking his eyes off the new set of sparring men for a second. And God could she see how absolutely tired he was in that second. She could cleary see the bags he wore and the stress in each muscle.

“Five minutes Jacob. That’s all I’m asking for. Your men should know how to run the place without you for that short amount of time.”

“What kind of example would I be setting as a leader?”

She huffed, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You want the image for an army to be you? The man who is probably one more day from collapsing from exhaustion. After you took the time to write out a detailed schedule--outlining how many hours of sleep they should get?” He was about to talk, she could tell in the way he rolled his eyes at her. “What ever happened to practice what you preach?”

That made him go silent, head tipping down with clenched lids. Now she couldn’t tell if he was angry or annoyed.

“Five minutes?” He asked, voice almost lost to the whistling of the wind.

She nodded eagerly, already grabbing his forearm before he could change his mind. He followed her easily enough. Footsteps echoing behind her until he kicked the office of his door shut.

Jacob watched her flit around the room, hands moving quick to pile pillows against the headboard with too many blankets covering the mattress. “What are we doing honey?” Jacob mumbled, for the first time seeming unsure, scratching a hand through his beard. “Gotta make it quick.” Though he sounded less sure as he watched her. Taking steps towards her when she motioned him over.

“Just trust me. Here, get comfortable.” She seemed excited, eyes ablaze with intentions he couldn’t read. But she was grabbing at him with smooth hands before he could object. “Lie down.”

Jacob’s entire body was stiff, tension rolling off him in waves as he shuffled against the sheets. He laid like a board, hands flopping by his side, hands curling into fists. “Now what?” he asked between clenched teeth.

“Relax. Don’t look like I’m holding you hostage.”

That got a smile out of him, a tiny exhale out of his nose that she would count as a laugh. She took that as her cue to nestle next to him. Crawling up and over his body to wedge herself between his solid body and the wall.

His arm moved minutely to wrap around her waist, she reciprocated with slinging a leg over his thighs, pressing in as close as she could manage.

“See? Isn’t this nice.”

He grunted. Though she could see him loosening up, that his eyes were shut. Not clenched, just closed like he was ready to fall asleep. He looked peaceful, finally sinking into her. She rubbed the flat of her palm against his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart under her finger tips. “You are enjoying this.”

His lips twitched. Eyes threatening to pop open. Instead he turned his head subtly, kissing along her neck, a smile forming despite how fast he was slipping away in sleep. “Maybe I am.”

And that was that. Less than five minutes later and she had a bear of a man fast asleep in her arms, a man who could tear down his enemies in mere hours who was curled up like a kitten against her. A man who ‘maybe’ enjoyed cuddling.


	44. Interruption (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook/Jacob where they're spending time together in bed, some nice after care until John somehow interrupts

It had become a habit for her to yank Jacob’s broad frame close to her before he had the chance to roll over and drift off to sleep. She’d lay her head on his chest and intertwine their ankles together, her cold feet making him flinch each time. He’d act like he didn’t like it, like he had better things to do than revel in the warmth they created after fucking.

It had taken far too long for him to realize that aftercare was something normal people did. That he should at least wipe his cum off her chest and not just leave her cold on the other side of the bed. He should be...y’know, some sort of gentlemen. For now she’d have to settle with him leaning over her, his weight almost crushing her, for him to grab his bloodied shirt to use as a towel.

He was learning. For a man who had so many sharp edges he was figuring out how to fit them together with her softer ones.

Jacob was getting better. One night at a time. He no longer hid his face or the many scars littering across his stomach when the blankets strayed from the bed as he fucked her with her hands held against the headboard. For a man nearing 50, he was on her quick enough after he came. Still kissing and biting while she squirmed on the mattress. Squealing out his name.

Loud enough to startle his own men more than once, stopping them short from coming into his office with hurried footsteps disappearing hurriedly down the hall.

Which begged the question; how was John able to just walk in without knocking, without even stopping in his confident stride when Jacob was biting at her thighs playfully, cock soft and resting on her own body with a trail of cum stretching over her stomach as evidence of what just happened moments before. She wasn’t quiet. So how did John miss all the signs that maybe they wanted the little bit of privacy Jacob’s office offered them?

“Jacob! For fuck’s sake, I’ve called, I’ve texted, I’ve left several voicemails, what the fuck is going on?” His head was down when he stormed in, tapping angrily away at his phone with a pinched brow. John swiveled his gaze up a second later. Maybe disturbed by Jacob’s lack of a reaction, or perhaps he heard the tiny surprised squeal she made as she scrambled to push Jacob’s head out from between her legs.

Not like she could move the man, he crowded in closer to her, hands lazily grabbing at a blanket to cover her upper half to soothe her yelp as he glanced over his shoulder. “Bit busy here John.” He wiped a hand over his beard, covering the back of his hand in her slick.

Jacob let her retreat further up the bed until her spine met the headboard, blanket clutched firmly to her chest as he knees locked together to keep from giving John a free show.

“Get him out!” She hissed, foot kicking out to scuff at his shoulder.

He shrugged, standing and meeting his brother’s eyes as if he wasn’t fully naked. She saw his cock bob as he turned abruptly towards John. Unsmiling and angry. “You heard the lady. Leave Johnny.”

But John was already turning away. Shielding his eyes from them both, a flush creeping up his throat and into his hairline. She bet he could feel the heat touching the tips of his ears as he backpedaled. Slamming his shoulder blade into the door frame before he could slip out completely.

The whole time he was talking, which made the whole thing worse as he apologized endlessly. “Fuck--yeah, sorry Jacob, A-and Rook. Fuck, I didn’t know.” Then he was gone, hurried footsteps disappearing down the hall.

She heard Jacob sigh, shoulders slumping as he shook his head, “close the damn door John!”

There was another slew of curse words before she saw his tattooed hand pop back around the corner, keeping himself out of view as if he wanted to make sure that they both knew he wasn’t trying to get a free peep show. He patted around blindly until he settled on just grabbing the door completely and swinging it shut, almost catching his fingers in the process.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day where John Seed was flustered.”

Jacob laughed, turning on his heel to collapse in the bed next to her, pulling her to his chest. “Mhm. You’d think he wouldn’t be that modest.”

She smiled over at him, kissing at his neck. “Yeah. I figured he’d be the one to want to compare his dick to yours and believe that his was bigger.”

“He does.” Jacob mumbled, eyes closing on some memory that made his lips twitch in something close to a smile. “I think it’ll be a while since I hear that argument again.”


	45. Pet Play pt 1 (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pet Play/Dom and Sub roles 
> 
> Jacob/Staci

“Down.”

Staci didn’t have much of a choice but to obey. When it came to Jacob, he had to listen. The bruises on his face, the way his nose throbbed in time with his heart, it reminded him to do as asked with no hesitation.

Which is why he knelt as soon as the door to Jacob’s office clicked shut. He kept his head bent, not wanting to seem like he was challenging his authority.

He went over the past few hours in his head. Trying to figure out where he went wrong. What had he done for Jacob to cut their job short and bring them back to his office with steel in his voice. He had taken notes dilengelty, hadn’t left a scratch on Jacob when he brushed the blade to the soft underside to his neck, he was an obedient dog. He didn’t fall behind and answered Jacob’s questions meant to trip him up.

But he must have fucked up along the way. There had been countless times when Pratt behaved just as he thought he must, only to have Jacob beat the crap out of him come nighttime behind the closed door of his office.

His body was thrumming with anticipation. Flinching when Jacob spoke next.

“I can’t get you to listen, can I?” What? Pratt steeled his expression, mouth not straying down into a frown laced with confusion because after all he’s done, he’s at least heeded Jacob’s words. “I’ve trained dozens of dogs, made them heel. And then there’s you...placing your loyalty elsewhere.”

“Sir?”

“Now, now Peaches. Quiet. Just listen, for fucks sake just listen for once.” He crouched by Pratt’s side, leaning back on his heels, grabbing at his chin to force eye contact. “I see the way you look at Rook whenever she’s near. You want to help her.”

Pratt couldn’t admit that. Not in a million years. Not unless he wanted to be skinned alive and strung up on a telephone post. So he kept his lips tight, tried to show bravery as he kept his eyes firmly locked on Jacob’s.

“Got an answer for me?”

“N-no sir. Or, ah—I mean, I have an answer. It’s—no, no I don’t want to help her. Never.”

“You see,” Jacob sighed, stood with a grunt and a hand in Pratt’s hair, “I just don’t believe you. So I’m gonna help you get back on track before you fuck up so badly there’s nothing you could do to take it back.”

Pratt narrowed his eyes. More in confusion than defiance. Did Jacob think he’d betray him? That he would risk his own life just to help a Rookie, someone new to the department, escape? It had crossed Pratt’s mind once, when he realized how easy it was to track Jacob’s schedule and those of the trucks that come in every week.

Besides, what else was there to live for if Rook went down?

“You’re thinking about it.” Jacob mused. The corners of his lips tilting up. “And thought crime is dangerous Staci. It’s enough for me to tell Joseph, to let him know one of his children is thinking about treason. John likes dealing with those who lack faith. Sloth, is it?”

Pratt was scrambling forward in an instant. Falling down from his knees to use his hands to get closer to Jacob, to grab at his blood stained jeans and tug at the hem of his shirt.

He wanted to argue, but pleading didn’t work with Jacob. It was foolish to deny punishment, that’s what Jacob never hesitated to remind him. That the strong accept punishment, it was the strong who could be abused and get back up.

Why did it have to be Staci to test that theory?

He wanted to at least ask that. But Jacob was laughing, speaking again. Hauling Pratt up by the back of his neck until he was standing chest to chest with Jacob. Forced to crane his neck to stare at him.

“I’m loyal.” It was a weak defense when Jacob’s accusations didn’t hold any weight.

“Right now, yes. Next week...who knows? I’m gonna nip this in the bud before you do something stupid. Gonna make you a well trained dog for me.”

Pratt wasn’t allowed to argue. He learned that weeks ago. Right from the start, whenever Pratt pushed, Jacob pushed back. Only harder.

He had laughed at Pratt once, when he was hunched in a corner crying after a stupid, bold display of anger. Had turned that little hiccup into a lesson too, told him “this was bound to happen.” Pratt remembers flinching with each scritch scratch of Jacob’s knife against the walls as he advanced. “Pups try to become the one on top. They attack the alpha dog and rock the boat a little, see where they stand. I understand Peaches, s’okay.”

Except it wasn’t. Jacob hurt him bad for that. Now he was teaching him a lesson because of what? Thought crime? He saw the Judas instincts inside him and wanted to punish him for something he hasn’t even done?

“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Not recently.” Jacob snorted, ruffling Pratt’s hair where it curled at his nape. “This is only a nudge in the right direction. I’m gonna show you how great things can be if you’re my good boy. You’d like that, hm?”

Jacob’s hand wasn’t exactly rough when he pushed Pratt back down on hands and knees, forcing his ass in the air, but it made Staci’s heart pound all the same. He knew what Jacob could do, that he could murder a man with a plastic fork if he chose to.

“Stay.”

Pratt wiggled his hips in discomfort, a need to move running through his entire body like an electric shock when he felt Jacob get behind him, working at his belt. For a second Pratt’s entire body tensed, everything locking up as he glanced over his shoulder just as Jacob folded his belt in two.

He was going to hit him.

He screamed. Jolting forward with nothing but pure fear flashing through his mind. He didn’t make it two feet before Jacob’s hand was on his lower back, pressing down until his body laid flat and he was hyperventilating.

“Easy boy, calm down. What didja think I was gonna do?” Jacob was smart, so fucking intuitive. And with the past he had, it wasn’t long before he put two and two together. Eyes flicking between where Pratt’s wide gaze was and the belt half raised in the air.

“Oh pup. No boy, no.” It ended with a cut off laugh as he tossed the belt aside, yanking Pratt back until he was half sat in his lap. “This isn’t a punishment. I’m not gonna hit you.”

As much of a sadistic asshole as Jacob was, he wasn’t a lair. If he wanted to do something awful, he wouldn’t bother sugarcoating it. That wouldn’t make for a good lesson. Not like Pratt could relax knowing that, in the position he was. Legs parted on either side of Jacob’s width, not able to face him with the way he was still on his stomach. Now completely naked when Jacob sliced easily through his pants and underwear like he’s done that kind of thing before.

For once Jacob’s touch was soft. He smoothed his palms up across Pratt’s back. Making soft shushing noises as if he was trying to calm an animal. The entire time Pratt was shaking though, waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under him.

But Jacob kept up with the petting. Scratching along his ribs and ruffling his hair. “See? Good pets get rewards.” Even Jacob’s voice was gentle, just a hushed whisper that made goosebumps break out along his skin.

His enjoyment didn’t go unnoticed, not when he was spread the way he was. With Jacob easily palming his ass cheeks to see his twitching hole. And of course how his cock was half hard, rubbing painfully against the cement floor.

Jacob only hummed, his fingers dipping lower, swirling round and round his hole before trying to press inside. The squeak that came out of Pratt’s mouth was enough to make his cheek flush pink. He buried his head into crossed arms, trying to ignore how his body responded to each swipe of Jacob’s finger.

“Easy!” Pratt snapped, his entire body locking up as Jacob pressed the tip of his ring finger inside.

“First time Peaches?”

Staci didn’t answer to that. Instead squirming his hips to show his refusal to this whole situation as Jacob pulled his finger back out. “S’okay pet. Just breathe.” There was the feel of Jacob’s hot breath ghosting across his hole before something wet hit him, sliding down his cheeks. The next time Jacob shoved his finger in, it went in with little resistance, the saliva Jacob provided doing wonders.

But not dulling the pain. Making Pratt whine, feet kicking feebly. All he got for his outburst was a slew of gentle words and shushing noises that actually made his muscles go lax all at once.

“There we are,” Jacob praised, “Need you just open enough for the present I’ve got right here for ya.” He laughed softly, testing out another digit, humming when Pratt clamped down instinctively. “Though I’m starting to think we’re gonna be here all day.”

It took far too long for two of Jacob’s thick fingers to fit inside him properly. Way more spit than he ever wanted anywhere near his ass and an awful amount of splayed fingers made Pratt’s head swim.

Apparently it was enough for Jacob though. Because he pulled away quickly, grabbing Pratt’s hips to rearrange him. Moving his body like a rag doll until his ass was up in the air on display and his knees were painfully rubbing against the linoleum.

“Here we go. Moment of truth, huh Peaches. Jus’ need you to stay calm for me boy. Be good.” At his last words there was something larger pressing against his hole. It couldn’t be Jacob’s cock, not when Pratt didn’t hear the amplified sound of his zipper sliding down--something that would’ve been impossible to miss in the quiet of his office.

It didn’t feel like skin either. It was smoother, slicker, it Pratt had to hazard a guess, he’d say it was rubber. Maybe silicon.

Either way, it made Pratt jump. His loose hole, stretched from Jacob’s ministrations, tried to flutter close. Angry at the new intrusion.

“There. Easy does it, just like that.” And on and on and on. His gentle voice in juxtaposition with the pain radiating throughout Pratt’s lower half. It didn’t help that with his hips raised in the air his cock was open to Jacob’s view. And his touch. A soft ghost of a brush when Pratt whimpered. Something to balance out the pain and pleasure he was offering.

“Jacob?”

“I got you. Don’t worry.” There was the sound of a wet pop, and whatever Jacob had been easing into him was now fully inside his ass. Leaving Pratt with a terrible throbbing feeling scorching through him as he scampered away on hands and knees.

Surprisingly Jacob let him. Content to watch from across the room as Pratt moved to the opposite wall, curling up in the fetal position, spine pressed against the wall as tentative hands moved to his backside.

“Don’t take it out Peaches.”

His eyes slammed shut at what he felt. A butt plug, yeah, that much was obvious now. But connected to the base was a fucking tail. A wolf’s tail lined with grays and whites.

Jacob was up and moving quick, as if he could read all the emotions playing out on his face, scared that Pratt was close to losing it. “C’mere, almost done.” He was crowded up in his space in a matter of seconds, hands cupping the side of his face only to smooth down until he was bracketing his throat.

A collar slipped out from Jacob’s back pocket, adorning his neck and standing out against his skin. It wasn’t the same kind of material the Judges wore, thank god, because he was sure those things were impossible to remove. No, this one looked at if it was meant for people. Which brought strange pictures to the forefront of his mind, images of Jacob sat at his desk late at night scrolling through websites to find dom/sub toys.

It made his cock twitch. A breathy moan leaving his lips as the tip brushed along Jacob’s jeans. “Still want something Pratt?”

Staci tipped his head down, leaning into the sudden pet Jacob gave across the nape of his neck. “You gotta ask, you need to learn how to speak for me pup.”

He kept his mouth stubbornly shut. Eyes slammed closed in unison, cringing as Jacob chuckled. “That’s fine. You’ve got more than enough time to learn. For now…” Jacob leaned in a little closer, slipping two fingers through the tiny space the collar offered. His knuckles pressed against his throat, feeling every swallow as he dragged him across the floor.

And into a goddamn cage.

An upgrade from sleeping with the rest of the prisoners, exposed to the elements and verbal abuse from Jacob’s men. But a cage was a cage. And it was far too small to seat him comfortably.

Jacob’s hand snuck through the bars to scratch him behind his ears. “I’m here whenever you wanna get rid of that Peaches. If you’re good maybe I’ll give you a treat, huh?” He suggestively grabbed at himself between his legs, drawing Pratt’s attention to his bulge.

He turned on his heel, making a beeline towards his desk--where maps and documents laid scattered around. “Oh, and Pratt?” Jacob stopped, a hand coming up to fiddle with his tags. “If you touch yourself I’ll cut off your fingers.”


	46. A Different Kind Of Conditioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob brainwashing Rook into loving him, well enough that he can "almost" fool himself into believing it's real.

His conditioning was supposed to benefit the project. It had been that way from day one. Nothing should have changed just because a couple of deputies in over their head rocked the boat a little.

But Rook was something different. The kind of strong that made him feel weak. He’d only come across that once or twice, half memories of when they first started this mess, people long gone now.

And when she finally knew her purpose, when she landed her last killing blow to Eli, he already said his goodbyes. Even if she didn’t realize it. He figured the Whitetails would lynch her. Instead she was pushed towards him, a puppet conducted from the wrong master’s string.

She had been his for months. Now he had to watch her rage her way towards him, acting out on someone else’s commands like a loyal dog. That thought made him howl with wrath as he watched her tear through his men and wolves.

It came later, when she was moments away from ascending the mountain peak he made into his sniper’s nest, that he realized this wasn’t goodbye. It didn’t have to be. She could be well and truly his.

No one would have any qualms. Not when she had already atoned—the harsh, scarred tattoo that her loose flannel revealed told him that much—not when she already walked the path and got knee deep in bliss, not when Joseph had preached and preached and preached to her endlessly.

He didn’t like to think the world owed him anything. Nor did his brothers. But he wanted so desperately to believe that he deserved to have Rook.

Rook who was soon to be a tool without a purpose after this fight. She would need a proper master to yield her. To show her some other purpose she didn’t know about. He wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He took this opportunity as the world offered it. Not caring in the dirty tricks he used. Hiding to be exact, forcing her to give chase until they were deep in the woods and in a battlefield he was more than familiar with.

He could make her need him. Make her reliant and dependent to the point where it felt like she couldn’t live without him.

*****

Rook felt like she was flying. Everything around her was hazy and oddly...purple. Less like the bliss, where she just knew it was all fake, where she could choose whether or not to give into temptation and come out on the other side a little more pissed. This was closer to Jacob’s conditioning. Where everything turned blindingly red, an intense color that would level out until it was all over and the last body dropped.

It was like a dream in that sense. Where everything was so shockingly real that she was scared. Because the last thing she remembered was thick trees with minimal sun peaking through, making every howling wolf all the more terrifying.

Each second the scenery changes around her in this strange purple world, from water that drowns her to an abyss that swallows her whole where she’s falling into nothing but blackness. Something saves her though. Every single time, right before she’s about to meet her demise, something keeps her from dying.

She just can’t see what and it’s driving her insane.

That makes her all the more antsy each time the world shifts around her. She wants to find that safety blanket and cling to it for dear life. She can’t explain it, this weird fever dream is bound to make her lose her mind, but one thing she’s sure of--the thing that is ingrained into her instincts--is that she needs that thing which keeps her safe. That person who she trusts with her life now.

She needs him.

So when Rook comes to, on the ground with a crick in her back surrounded by awful metal bars, she cries. There’s some terrible hollow feeling in her chest that she can’t explain. Like her soul is being ripped apart, each nerve fiber and atom tearing. She screams and wails until people across from her--in cages themselves because she hasn’t made the connection of where she is yet--are staring at her. Whispering in tiny groups at their deputy turned savior who has finally snapped.

“Mind telling me exactly what you’re crying about pup?”

She stifles her tears, neck craning up and around until she’s sitting and can look past all her tears.

“Jacob!”

The bars are in the way, no possible way in hell to get past them. But she tried anyhow. Her body aching immediately with how she throws her full weight at the metal. Her arms stretch, grabbing, trying to reach for him in a way she can’t explain.

Dear god she just knew she needs him.

“Easy Rook. Easy girl, no need for the water works. Shush.” Though he was standing just out of arm's reach, a crooked smile locked into place. She could only lean into his touch as he offered up a single finger to wipe away her tears.

The cage door was opened within a second, him placing his body in the doorway as if he thought she might escape. As if they’ve done this song and dance before and he didn’t know if his conditioning had worked this time.

Rook pushed that thought to the back of her mind. Focusing solely on Jacob. On the rush of colliding with his chest, feeling his arms wrapping around her, hefting her up until she could wrap her legs around his torso and bury her nose in his neck and whine.

“What’s wrong?” Whispered in her ear--as easy as sliding a lock into place, making two puzzle pieces connect.

“You weren’t there. I couldn’t find you Jacob.”

He cooed at her, pulling her in closer to his chest as he laid a kiss to her temple. “Oh honey,” words deceptively sweet, “I’m not going anywhere, not ever again. You can count on that.”


	47. End Of The World Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Staci and Jacob surviving the bombs going off, it's just the two of them trapped in a bunker in the aftermath. (Similar to how Joseph changed the deputy)

Somewhere, off to his left or maybe directly in front of him, was Jacob. Telling him to remain calm. Reminding him to breathe instead of locking his chest up tight so until absolutely no air could get in. As if it was that easy, like him being on the verge of a panic attack was an unnecessary hindrance when faced with the end of the world.

Jacob made it look easy though. When Pratt’s vision finally returned, no longer dark at the edges, Jacob was there with a confident gleam in his eyes. Showing no fear, even when explosions continuously rumbled above them.

“There ya go. See? Everything’s fine.” Jacob soothed, a hand smoothing over Pratt’s spine, creeping up to his neck and over his hair, an act of comfort he found himself leaning into. “I need you to keep your head on for me Pratt, think you can do that?” Jacob drew out his name, put such emphasis on it that it was hard not to focus on how he went out of his way to call him by a proper title this time.

Pratt, not Peaches.

Just another thing to ground him, to make him do what Jacob wanted him to.

Pratt nodded anyway, despite knowing in the back of his head that the conditioning would never fully wear off, that Jacob was only manipulating him.

His eyes viciously began scanning the tiny bunker Jacob had hauled him into for the first time since the initial shock of the ground moving under him made him freeze during their weekly hunt. Perhaps the worst time ever for such an event.

“Yes sir.” Fall back on something familiar, a phrase that was ingrained into his mind. Something that reminded him of before.

“I gotta go get shit sorted out with my men, everyone’s gonna be scrambling around and they need me. I need to see if that radio works. You stay here, breathe. Take inventory of food and water. All our supplies. If we’re lucky, we might even make it past winter.” A clipboard filled to the brim with loose papers was shoved into Pratt’s hands, pulled from God only knows where. Then Jacob was giving him a pat on the cheek, something that he pinpointed long ago as a display mock sympathy made Pratt snap into action after Jacob turned on his heel and walked further into their tiny living space that was now home.

Which left Pratt alone, Jacob’s words ringing through his head. With a command Jacob fully expected to be done by the time he got any sort of response on the tiny CB that occupied an even smaller desk shoved in an unorganized, dirty corner.

He had a task to do, just like Jacob, they were both important here. Both of them were needed in this moment and the years to come if they wanted to survive to see the sun again. So he pushed himself forward. Dove into his job wholeheartedly as if nothing ever changed. Like he was still in the twisting halls of the Veteran’s Center, acting as Jacob’s shadow, trailing a step behind and taking sprawling notes.

Except he wasn’t anywhere near Jacob. Sometimes he heard the herald’s voice from the other room, past the cement walls where Pratt tried his best to organize everything. More often than not he would hear static though. Along with the occasional voice of someone just barely getting through, and Jacob cursing to follow.

It took two months before Jacob worked Pratt’s life into his own schedule. He was busy with a radio that was yet to work, with trying to work out the rations after Pratt handed him the clipboard of their dwindling inventory. It made Staci wonder if Jacob forgot about him most days, despite Pratt lying on the floor on a beat up mattress with Jacob snoring above him on a thick bed during the night. Staci figured that Jacob suddenly came to question where his lost puppy went only because he turned one day to bark out an order usually carried out by ‘Peaches’ and never received a quivering answer.

But Pratt wasn’t Jacob’s bitch. He didn’t like to think that was the case anymore, after all the laws of the land were gone in addition to God’s green earth. Jacob didn’t get to own him after the end of the world. And Pratt told him so one day when Jacob shoved a can of meat in his hands with angry orders to eat, that he was getting too thin, losing what little muscles he had. He even went as far as to smash that damned music box kept tucked away in a drawer.

Jacob was a light sleeper, jolting from the sound of crumbling metal and smashed cogs. The fact that he looked proud, wrangling in Pratt by the scruff of his neck to give praise, almost made it worse.

There was mutual respect given so freely after that. It marked a time where Jacob laughed more, eyes bent at the edges as he hunched in on himself. Where, for once, he invited Pratt to sit by him as he read through old classics scattered around the bunker or when he tinkered with some piece of tech that would probably never work again. Jacob even made a point to eat with him, a hand kept on Pratt’s thigh as they squashed together on the beat up couch.

For a while, it was nice. Nicer than it had been since Pratt was forced into Jacob’s life.

But Jacob was...well, Jacob. And when his nightmares struck things changed again. He was distant, moody. Angry too, snapping at him throughout the day. Demanding his every action no matter how small, still trying to control him. Pratt had to wonder if it was because he lacked control over his demons.

Maybe before the collapse Pratt would have been too scared to have mentioned it. Or to have done a damn thing about how terrified Jacob was from whatever haunted him during the night. That would have been overstepping his boundaries.

The end of the world literally happened right in front of his eyes. He couldn’t call himself scared anymore, not even of Jacob Seed.

“We aren’t going to survive seven years if you keep up like this.”

Jacob raised an untamed eyebrow, mouth obscured by the mug of lukewarm coffee he raised to his lips. “What?” He wasn’t even mad, and that made Pratt twitchy. He shifted where he sat across from him, hands fiddling under the table. Linking and unlinking his thumbs until his heart rate calmed.

“You’re gonna go insane if you don’t act just a little human.”

Jacob blinked back at him. Once. Twice. Eyes devoid of expression. “I have no fucking clue what you’re going on about.” He laughed cruelly, softly, cutting Staci off as soon as he opened his mouth, “are you tryna say you wanna change me Peaches? You think you can make me a better man, so much so that my own brothers won’t even know who I am when we leave here?” He stood so suddenly that Staci--despite himself--flinched. “Good fucking luck.”

The quick flip of emotions gave him whiplash, it made him shake where he sat as he struggled to reign in his tears.

It was like walking on eggshells after that. With Pratt watching Jacob out of the corner of his eye at all times. Trying his best to make Jacob see that every good act that he did wasn’t out of pity. It was a need to help the only person in his life now. The reasons he had were selfish, wanting to make their lives easier until the bunker doors unlocked and he could rid himself of this man. Every bath he ran for Jacob, every meal cooked and extra blanket tossed his way when the nighttime chill became too much.

Until Jacob snapped. “The fuck are you trying to do? What’s your endgame?”

Staci froze. The cup of steaming coffee hovering in the air, noticing how Jacob was not reaching out to grab it. Focused instead on Pratt’s deer in the headlights sort of look. “What?”

“I don’t need your niceties.”

Staci shrugged. Acting like the twinge of disappointment wasn’t making his heart ache something fierce. He placed the mug on a side table, swiftly taking a seat on the edge of the bed with lips twisted from discomfort.

“I know. You’re Jacob Seed. Herald of the Whitetails Mountains. The man who will be talked about by future generations. Parents will tell bedtime stories to warn their kids not to walk alone in the woods all because of you. You’re like a real life version of bigfoot.”

From how close they were, he heard Jacob’s breath hitch. He watched him tip his head down, obscuring his eyes. And that’s when Pratt noticed how long his hair had grown in two months. That his beard was unruly and the fluff on top of his head was out of control. It made him cringe, remembering when long ago that used to be his job, to make sure Jacob was on top of his game. And he wasn’t, not now; and wasn’t that Staci’s fault?

“Just let me help,” Pratt pleaded. “Do you always gotta put on a tough guy act? For who Jacob? Who the fuck is there to impress anymore? What are you trying to prove now?” In a sudden act of boldness he reached forward to grip onto Jacob’s shoulders, shaking him until he looked back up. “You survived. You made it. Everyone already knows you’re strong.”

“Yeah?” Jacob rasped. Hands hesitantly wrapping around Pratt’s wrists, where his palms still laid flat on the exposed skin of his shoulders, unintentionally slipping beneath his shirt. “You think my brothers know that?”

“W-what?”

“They probably think I’m dead. With that radio busted…” He blew out a large puff of air, one that made Pratt’s stubble tickle. “What if they’re dead? How can I call myself strong if I didn’t help them make it this far? After all, this was their dream, not mine. You wanna help me answer that one Peaches?”

Pratt couldn’t help himself. Not when he saw Jacob crack under his hands. He pulled him close, making a soft noise of surprise when he didn’t resist. Following Pratt’s guiding hands until they were embracing, sharing the same air.

“You’re whole damn family are survivors Jacob. You made ‘em that way. No way a bunch of nukes took ‘em out. The rest of the world wouldn’t be so lucky.”

“Watch it Staci.” But there was a light tone to his voice, a teasing note that complimented how he knocked his knuckles into his ribs. He sighed, this time fanning out air against Pratt’s collarbone, making him shiver.

The action didn’t go unnoticed by Jacob--nothing ever did--and he wound his arms around him a little tighter. “I think--” Jacob started, clearing his throat as color rose in his cheeks, “I think maybe you should start sleeping in here. It was near winter when we got down here, and two months later...I don’t need you freezing to death on me, huh Peaches?”

Jacob didn’t give him any time to consider. Using all his strength, all those muscles he’s kept taut with a daily exercise regime that made Pratt tired just watching him, to flip him over to the other side of the bed. Locked up tight in his arms. Safe and secure, with Jacob bracketing him in and exuding heat like a furnace.

Staci accepted this new shift in their relationship. Burrowing into Jacob with a content sigh. Freezing from shock when Jacob reciprocated, pulling him in tighter, tangling their legs up in a mess of limbs.

He changed Jacob--

And maybe one day Jacob would tell his family the story of how Staci had changed him.


	48. Never Again

It was foolish to think that she’d get very far. She knew her husband well. After all, he was never shy about letting her see first hand how adept he was at tracking, how ruthless he was, that he would run himself ragged just to capture someone he didn’t want running loose.

And those people didn’t mean as much to him as she did.

She was scared he would drag it out. Content to play cat and mouse, maybe scare her a little with snapping twigs and radio calls meant to shake her nerves.

But he wouldn’t risk letting her get away just to have fun. So he came up behind her to wrap a scarred forearm across her neck, bending down to whisper in her ear. “Didja have to go and run? Are you really gonna act that dramatic?”

“You can’t.” She argued, her view of the world flipping as he hoisted her over his shoulder, making her stomach dig into his muscles painfully. “My mom’s expecting me home.” It was a lie. She hadn’t had contact with her family since she got to Hope.

Jacob saw right through her. He always could. “Yeah? Bullshit. But if that’s the case I’d be happy to call her back for you, let her know that you’ve changed your mind. That you and me have made up.”

Rook laughed, it was watery, her voice choking momentarily. “How’d you know I was leaving?” Because she hadn’t been in his territory for a long while, months now. She was nowhere near the mountains. She was almost out in fact, keeping the Henbane to her left as she walked.

“John. He sounded worried when he called . Told me that you were hysterical, that you didn’t have your head on straight.” He sighed, something that she felt throughout her whole body. It made her grip onto him tighter, nails digging into his shoulder blades as if that was ample payback. “But that doesn’t matter now. We gotta get back home.”

She squirmed in his grip, head craning to see his car in the distance, smoke leaking out from the exhaust pipe. “You expect me to sleep in our bed still? The same one that you fucked that slut in?”

“It was one time. And she’s not you, It’s not like I’d marry her.”

She huffed indignantly going limp. “I’m not sleeping anywhere near you. The first chance I get--”

“You’ll run. Or maybe you’ll slit my throat first, I know honey. I get it, you’re mad. I got a nice place set up for you until you learn to love me again.”

That ‘nice place’, the one he refused to answer any questions about, was a cage. One that you’d put a big dog in, like the german shepherd she had when she was a kid.

She slept most days. Head buried in her folded arms, trying her best to ignore him. Which wasn’t easy. He didn’t make it easy. Always talking to her, relaying memories of when she adored him, speaking in that gentle, hushed tone that made her melt.

He was patient. More so than her. He broke people on a daily basis. He knew how to play the waiting game. And she didn't. Each day warped her mind a little more.

“I’m here you know. Whenever you change your mind and you want out, all you gotta do is tell me.” He always crouched on the floor to speak to her, making their eyes lock, touching along her side and running a hand through her hair. “I hear you crying at night, sweetheart. It fucking kills me.”

Those words alone sent shivers down her spine. Every day it was the same thing.

It were those small things that drew her towards him. Each tiny touch and comforting word. He kept that up until she fully broke down. Where he stood to walk away, to lay down for the night, and she sobbed.

Rook begged and screamed and thrashed.

And Jacob just smiled. He turned slow on his heel and smiled at her before unlocking her cage and scooping her out like she was nothing more than a scared child.

She clung to him like one. He let her cry that night. When he never put up with things like that, he let her sob and hold onto him in bed.

Despite all his transgression and every injustice committed against her, he had been right.

She wasn’t going anywhere.


	49. Drunken Meetings (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drunk Rook all over Jacob *Pre-cult*

Bars were never really his thing. They brought back memories of his mother forcing him out the door in the worst kind of whether with instructions to bring their father home from whatever dive bar he chose that night. The whole atmosphere made him queasy in a way he didn’t want to admit. Especially not to his brother.

John seemed way too excited to come here. Though he suspected he just wanted the company. Withdrawals were all the more difficult when a certain middle child made you go cold turkey.

“Joseph never said alcohol wasn’t off limits.”

“He’s gonna go for the booze next, I hope you realize that.”

But if John heard him he chose to ignore his words. Focusing on the here and now, falling into what Jacob assumed was his element. Wining and dining the ill lit room, flitting around unfamiliar territory like he’s been here before.

And Jacob would’ve thought he had visited this place many a nights if this wasn’t their first step in Montana.

Jacob stayed by his brother’s side if only to keep his promise to Joseph, just to watch over John. To make sure he didn’t make any decisions that would spark the self-hatred he had become accustomed to.

Somewhere into the night Jacob wandered far off into a corner booth. Surveying the scene with a judgemental eye. Sliding over the room again and again, skipping over patrons and finding his way back to his brother without fail. His brother who had been nursing the same amber liquid for over an hour.

Jacob was proud of that small fact, and that made a smile come to his lips.

“And here I thought the soldier didn’t know how to smile.”

When he looked up his expression fell, coming back to the kind of scowl he mastered. The kind that made it possible for his brother’s flock to cross multiple borders with no permits whatsoever in a bus packed with guns. The kind of scowl most people would shy away from.

“Oh, I ruined it now.” She laughed, slipping into the seat across from him with a smile. “Rook,” she extended her hand with a tip of her head in way of greeting.

It took Jacob a few moments to process everything, to not immediately perceive the woman in front of him as a threat. His eyes stayed on her outstretched hand, moving to check on John once again. His little brother was watching him intently with raised eyebrows, mouth opening in what he believed was a laugh. He nodded encouragingly, that alone made Jacob’s cheeks heat up, he liked to think he didn’t need pointers from someone practically 15 years younger.

He took her hand before the offer was revoked. “Jacob.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” She hummed, jerking her head down towards the tags around his neck.

Her hand twirled around the rim of her glass. Collecting condensation along her finger tip, which she promptly popped into her mouth.

His eyes followed the movement. Pupils dialing harshly as he watched her full lips pucker when she sucked.

“Buy me a drink, soldier?”

Jacob ducked his head. Cringing at the moniker. John would recover smoothly from something like that, he’s seen his brother in action.

Instead, because he was nothing at all like John—raised within the highest of social ladder—he just huffed indignantly. Sharp blue eyes finding her dark ones which held amusement that was almost suffocating.

“You aren’t even done with that one yet, sweetheart.” He quipped softly, leaning back to watch her squirm. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Then her eyes met his again, challenging and cryptic. She smiled, throwing back her drink in one smooth motion.

“How bout now?” Her finger circled the rim of her empty glass, drawing his attention easily. “C’mon, I’m shit outta money and I’m not nearly finished having fun.”

Neither was he. He could feel his heart stuttering against his chest because she was different. In a way he couldn’t exactly pinpoint, but he could feel it the same way Joseph could read people just by saying hello.

She captured his attention and he’d be damned if he let the only interesting person in this godforsaken state go.

Even if it was just for tonight and he never saw her again.

Rook led him by the arm. Her fingers slipping around his bicep with a not at all subtle squeeze to cop a feel at the muscles underneath. They held more calluses than he expected from such a pretty thing, his chest constrict at the thought of those hands, of how skilled they’d be. How if he were here alone he wouldn’t mind making all sorts of requests in the back of his pickup.

“You getting anything Jacob?” She hummed, her breath tickled his ear as she leaned in close, hovering behind him. Effectively trapping him against the bar. Right where he felt his cock growing hard as her hands skimmed along the edge of his jeans.

“Think I hit my limit for tonight.” His speech faltered, gaze failing to meet his brother’s from across the bar. “Don’t let me stop you.”

She laughed, leaning in closer, her breasts pushing against him and her thigh halfway hooking around his own leg. “Wasn’t planning on it.” Rook was past buzzed, past what he would call ‘fun.’

Not that she thought so. He watched with morbid curiosity as she threw back shot after shot.

“Jacob.” He glanced over his shoulder to see his brother swaying in place, a wry smile on his lips. “I think I’m going to head home.” He spoke softly despite the stragglers that still lingered. “And you have the keys. And aren’t drunk, I guess that’s important too.” John said, eyeing the girl pressed into his side, an arm thrown over his shoulder to keep her standing.

“Right, right.” Jacob scrambled to pull a wad of cash out of his pocket. Hands straying to the curves of Rook’s waist in thought.

“Jacob If she needs a ride home…”

“You sure?”

John held up his hands in mock surrender, a sly smile on his lips that sparked an old time memory from before John could even talk. “Hey, I won’t tell. Besides, it’s getting late. Joseph’s up waiting for us, no doubt. And he needs his sleep.”

John blessedly said nothing as Rook trailed willingly behind them. He didn’t mention how she slipped into the passenger seat leaving him exiled to the back. He kept his mouth shut when she didn’t hide the fact that her hands were trailing up and down Jacob’s thigh repeatedly.

He just gave Jacob a knowing smile when they pulled up to the only half finished plot of land they bought. “Hurry up. Can’t hold Joseph up forever, he’ll wonder where you are.”

“You’ve got a big family.” Rook drawled when John’s form disappeared into the makeshift camp they set up in the meantime.

“Mhm.” Jacob’s hands were still around the wheel, knuckles turning white as he stared straight ahead. He tried to even his breathing, to make it look as if her hand wasn’t expertly undoing his belt and slipping into his pants and past his boxers.

“Rook—“

“Jacob.” She responded softly, her lips catching his ear and trialing down to his neck. “What’s wrong? You’re telling me a big guy like you on base didn’t fool around?” She tugged at his dog tags with a wicked grin. “You can’t say you never took advantage of anyone before, that you never pinned anyone against a bed—maybe in the medbay?—and did whatever you wanted?” As slurred as her speech was, her eyes were clear.

Rook squeezed at his cock, sighing at the heat she found there. She felt him throb in her grasp, his head tipping back against the headrest. “Thought so.”

She turned his head with a single finger, pressing their lips together with ferocity that stole his breath away.

“I’m heading out,” She whispered, rubbing her hand up and down in strokes that were far too slow. “Before you get any ideas and your brothers come looking.” Her hand sped up as she leaned closer into him, sharing his warmth and sucking the skin around his neck.

He came in her hand with a muted cry. His teeth sunk deep into his bottom lip.

She left him like that, wiping his cum off on his jacket with a sweet wave goodbye just as Joseph appeared in the distance.

Even from here Jacob could sense his displeasure and concern. He couldn’t say it wasn’t worth it, not with the memories she gave him that he’d be using for the next month.


	50. Piss Kink [2] (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob urinating on Rook

“Rook.”

God help her but she was getting sick of his voice. She swore she heard it in her nightmares. Every praise he offered was always paired with some horrid action she committed than would haunt her. 

There was a small part of her that toyed with the idea of asking for peace when he stepped into view with that damn smarmy grin. Just this once, she wanted to get on her knees and beg for him to leave her alone. 

But she was dying. Close to it anyway. Not enough food and water, being run ragged for weeks, forced to kill and push past her limits on a daily basis. With the added addition of exposure. The mountains were cruel as far as whether went, and Jacob didn’t care that much about his prisoners to provide winter coats or even roofs.

He tapped the bars with the tip of his boot. “Not looking too good deputy.”

She wanted to laugh. Though it died before it got halfway to her throat. Jacob would just think she was poking fun at him, and he wouldn’t hesitate to correct that behavior. She didn’t think she’d be able to survive much more punishment.

“M’not. Think I’m dying.”

He huffed, giving a slight roll of his eyes as he knelt down. Almost gentle in how he reached out to cup her cheek through the bars. Accepting how she nuzzled into his dirtied palm. “Don’t be dramatic, kitten. You’re strong, It’ll take a lot more than what I’m dishing out to kill you.”

“Doesn’t matter how strong you are, dehydration’s a bitch to anyone.” Rook flinched at her own words, scared for some strange reason that he would hurt her for cursing; even if it wasn’t directly towards him. 

He just stared at her, his expression shifting into something she couldn’t read. “No ones been giving you water?”

Rook shook her head as much as she could without moving away from his hand. It was the only thing keeping her head up at this point. Too weak to keep her neck from crumpling, leaving her messy in the dirt.

“Can’t fucking trust anyone to do their job right,” he muttered, standing abruptly. He shifted on his feet, glancing around, maybe for someone to blame. Whatever the case was he found no one, none of his soldiers were close to making rounds near her cage again. 

“You thirsty, dep? Right now?”

She shuffled up on her knees. Trying to show she wasn’t weak, that she could run whatever trial he wanted her to for the price of a single sip. 

“You can wait a couple more days, can’t you?” He bent at the waist, hands resting on her knees. Smiling at how her face fell. How her brows bent and tears formed in her eyes, not wasting any time falling down her cheeks. 

“Easy there,” he warned, a hand reaching out to wipe away her tears, “don’t think you can really waste that water.” The bead of a tear clung to his thumb when he pulled away. She was tempted, so damn tempted to reach out a suck that water down her throat.

Jacob caught her staring. A smile forming as he beat her to it. Jamming his thumb past cracked lips. Her teeth barely scraped at the calluses on his skin as she lapped at the single tear, a whine slipping out when he pulled away.

“You’ll be fine, kitten. I won’t let anything happen to you. Know why?”

She shook her head gently, already sinking back towards the ground. Her body weakening, ready for rest.

“It’s ‘cause I own you honey.”

*****

Two more days without food or water and she was thinking about begging again.

Jacob knew it too. He liked to flaunt how broken she was to his soldiers and brothers alike. She wasn’t even safe from the scrutiny of her friend. 

Having Staci around made it worse. She curled up on those days, spine pressed into a corner, as if she could hide from his pitying eyes. Like he wasn’t in the same bad shape she was in from Jacob’s hands, like they weren’t both going to need a therapist after they get out of here.

Because they would.

She told him that once. When Jacob wandered away and she leapt forward to grab at Staci’s wrist. The one that had awful, burning, red marks all the way around. 

The next day he showed up trotting behind Jacob sporting a shiner.

It was humiliating staring into Staci’s eyes. Him seeing the full extent of the hold Jacob had on her. Like he was her keeper. 

He came to her when she was on the verge of death and opened her cage with ease; she wasn’t a threat anymore. Staci stood a ways away, like he was the one in danger. The bars separating the two of them.

Distantly she heard the clank and jingle of Jacob fiddling with something. She didn’t have the strength to look over her shoulder at him. Just shut her eyes to block out the sun.

“You still alive down there, dep?” He toed at her with the tip of his boot. Nudging between her shoulder blades with enough force to make her roll fully on her stomach. She allowed the action to happen, smearing her face in the dirt with a muted grunt as an answer.

“Good, good girl.” There was the rustle of him crouching by her side, rubbing at the back of her head almost fondly. “Hey! Eyes right here Peaches. Trying to prove a point here. That’s what you wanted, right?”

There was a beat of silence, one where she held her breath until her chest began to ache and she saw shadows behind closed lids.

Then he was whispering in her ear, tugging her hair away from her face as he rolled her on her back again. “Thirsty, right sweetheart?”

Rook whined, face scrunching up. She wasn’t in the mood for teasing.  
  
“Shh. Hush. I got water here for ya.” She didn’t even have to open her eyes. She heard the sound of him sloshing water in a canteen. It made her mouth throb something fierce at the thought of it. “You can have it. The whole damn thing, it’s full.”

Jacob pulled her up into a sitting position, her spine pressed into the bars to keep her from falling down. He pushed the water into her hands as if to prove his point. She felt like her throat was on fire, every swallow like sandpaper scratching at her skin. She knew better than to drink without permission. Instead she stared right back at Jacob until he glanced behind her to where Staci stood shifting from foot to foot.

“See what I mean? She’s mine. She’ll take whatever I give her.” He shot her a smile, one that was deceivingly kind. “Won’t you Rook?” He thumbed at her cheek, swiping back and forth before standing.

Jacob didn’t say a damn word when he began fiddling with his pants. She took the opportunity to take a swig. Pausing when the liquid ran down her throat to see if he disapproved. When the only sound she heard was the metal clinking of his belt and the shuffle of his men nearby, she kept going. Tossing back the canteen until water ran out of the corner of her mouth and she was panting when she pulled away. 

When her eyes focused back on Jacob she froze. Canteen falling from her limp hand. It seemed like he had no shame in pulling himself out. Revealing his soft tip.

For a horrifying moment she thought he was going to make her suck him off. That’d he’d force himself into her aching mouth until her gums were bleeding. He caught her stare, her wide-eyed, doe like gaze, and huffed.

“I’m not gonna make you suck it. Stop looking at me like that.”

Rook twisted her neck around, finding Staci immediately, where tears stood rimmed around his eyes. She swore he looked sorry, for what, she wasn’t sure. That was until she heard a soft pitter-patter and felt a gentle splash in her lap.

She jolted and yelped. Weak legs kicking out instinctively. Jacob’s boot kept her in place, clamping down on her stomach to stop her resistance. It did the job, weeks of being locked in a cage kept her feeble.

“You’ll take this gladly wouldn’t you, Rook? You’d be happy to have and kind of attention at this point. And do you know why that is?” His tone was mocking. An awful teasing that made her stomach curl into knots.

“Rook.” He warned, foot pressing further on her organs, effectively crushing her as his piss ruined her clothes. Like he was really searching for an answer. “It’s because you’re mine, sweetheart. But you already knew that, didn’t you?” He teased softly, a smile changing his features. “At least Peaches understands now. You can blame him for this lesson.” 

Rook never saw Pratt after that. Jacob made him scarce. And when he released her back into the wild to play ‘hero,’ she let her mind stray from her former colleague. Hudson and Burke needed her more than Staci. For he was already too far gone. 


	51. Taunts (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wolf's den, Eli tracks Jacob through the woods by all his monitors. He sees Jacob taking advantage of a blissed out deputy

Jacob’s hunters—his supposed best—had passed in front of Eli’s cameras none the wiser countless times. The red herald was smart, cunning in a terrifying way, which is why Eli wasn’t nearly as surprised as Wheaty thought he’d be when his cameras began breaking one by one. 

It was really only a matter of time. Their ragtag militia were dropping like flies. Groups of them disappearing at a time at an alarming rate. From the amount of Whitetails taken into Jacob’s hold it was obvious that someone slipped. Someone gave Jacob every single camera location. Which is why Eli was even more paranoid when only the cameras closest to the wolf den remained. 

Everything Jacob did was on purpose. It was methodical. This was a taunt, some fucked up sort of warning for anyone who even thought of going against him.

Eli spotted Jacob moving through the trees easy enough. He wasn’t trying to hide himself. The grainy footage—hundreds of broken cameras—made it slow goings in figuring out what the hell he was tracking so far from home. 

Then he saw Rook. A pack slung over her shoulder with a limp. Gun holstered and knife held tight on her thigh. 

Jacob was dodging cameras and disappearing out of sight only to reappear seconds later. It made him realize that he knew exactly where each camera was. And he chose not to break them just yet. No doubt Jacob wanted Eli to see where he was going, that following Rook was no mistake.

He was on her before Eli could decide what to do. Hands fumbling with radios and cell signals. He pounced from behind, overpowering her with sheer size. And whatever injury she endured didn’t help. He shoved her back, playing with his prey. A smile on his lips. 

His Rook was a fighter. A survivor. She could handle herself, she came back from Jacob’s hold. Bouncing back from whatever mental trauma gifted to her. Which is why he didn’t bat an eye when she struck. Her punches bounced off him, and he simply held onto her fists like she was nothing more than a fussy kitten. 

The cameras were grainy, not nearly as high tech as he would’ve preferred, especially when he couldn’t see a clear enough image to piece together what was happening. Though he could see Jacob’s lips moving.

Jacob backtracked until his spine hit a nearby tree, dragging Rook with him. Hands still held onto her wrists. Uncaring in how she stumbled and winced. His arm stretched out to wrangle her around her throat for a better hold. His fist rammed into her side, roughly around where her kidneys were. The pressure on her organs mingled with his thick forearm around her throat made her crumple into him. 

He was whispering in her ear, the way she flinched away from him told him that much. Jacob was more than aware that Eli was watching, he looked directly into the lens, head jerking up to direct Rook’s attention. Forcing her to steady her breathing and to find the subtle flashing green light surrounded by metal hidden in the trees. 

“C’mon Rook. Make a fucking move.” Because her gun was still on her person and her knife was resting not too far away either. Her hands weren’t bound, instead grabbing ahold of where his forearm was cutting off her air. 

Eli leaned in closer, squinting to make out what Jacob held in his hand. A vial. Of something sparkly and green. 

“Get out of there, kid.” His fingers were working fast. Clicking buttons and working to find someone near enough to help. The bliss he poured out diligently a second later made him still. Heart beat picking up. 

She was thrown to the ground with the roughness that came with being in Jacob’s presence. With little care to her wound, open and gaping, he could even see that from where he was sitting. Jacob hovered over her, speaking despite her world probably going hazy in seconds. 

But this—whatever Jacobs intentions were—wasn’t just to push Rook’s spirit lower, it wasn’t meant to break her. He did that enough in his trials. This was a message for everyone, especially Eli. If this was supposed to draw him out, to snuff out the last of the militia, it was close to working. He was on the edge of his seat, ready to leap up and run to their location. 

He was trying to find their location. Looking for landmarks. “Fucking mountain bullshit.” He muttered, the whole damn forest looked all alike.

Jacob sat straddling her thighs, fumbling for his own radio held on his belt. There was a click and hiss from Eli’s CB, making him jump before a high pitched tone rang out making him cringe. Jacob was fucking with the signal then, having more power than any man should.

There was no point trying her reach her now, not when Jacob was right over her. Not when she was passed out and could no longer fight. Jacob seemed to disagree though. In half a beat, when the ringing died down, Eli’s radio squealed to life, and Jacob was smiling directly at the camera. 

“How much is this soldier worth to you, Palmer?”

“Jacob.” He regarded him gently, nails digging into his palms. “You know how many people look up to Rook, so many people depend on her. They’d die to repay her in a heartbeat. You’re poking a fucking bear. And here I thought you were smarter than that.”

Jacob had the absolute audacity to laugh. Head tipping back comically before regarding Rook’s unconscious body laid before him. 

Eli didn’t think he could ever feel more helpless. After witnessing months go by and the countless people he couldn’t help, he thought that was the bottom. That it couldn’t get any worse. He thought Jacob pulled out every trick he had for toying with him. And yet Eli was fidgeting, fingers twitching to find another channel, to find someone who could help. But all the stations were scrambled, nothing coming through but static. And not a damn person who was strong enough in the wolf’s den to find her. 

There wasn’t a damn thing he could do but watch Jacob put his hands where they didn’t belong. He undressed her like he had the right. Moving slow as if he had been dreaming to do something just like this ever since he saw her behind bars in one of his cages. 

Jacob stayed quiet through his next series of actions. Stripping her and lacking any sort of guilt as he worked his way through Rook’s buttons. Revealing her skin to the frigid air.

Eli’s heart jumped into his throat at the sight. With Jacob’s large hands pawing her chest, tearing her bra down past her breasts. He squeezed and pinched at her nipples, eyes occasionally flicking up to the camera he was in full view of. 

And he smirked. Hands full of his tits and he fucking smirked.

In all of Eli’s years with dealing with the monster that Jacob Seed was, he never saw the man look so fucking smug. 

It made his blood boil. 

And all he could do was watch as Jacob’s fingers roamed over her unconscious body. Groping her breasts and cupping her bare pussy. Eyes closing briefly as he took her in. He spread her lips open, tilting his head down to appreciate the view better. His index finger slipping inside a second later, nothing close to tentative. 

Down close to her heat he licked up from her entrance to her clit. Circling her nub with his tongue until she twitched, legs kicking out in protest. Not that he let up. If anything he worked harder. Doubling his efforts as he dipped his tongue inside her. Getting her wet for him. 

He pulled back with a hum of approval. Hand twitching down to grab at his radio. “Eli? Still watching.”

It was hard to talk with teeth clenched. He opted not to say anything; lest he make her situation worse,“Mhm.” 

“Yeah I bet you wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Jacob laughed, leaning back from her pussy long enough to pull himself out. His cock, already embarrassingly hard, bobbed free. “I heard how you talk about her. I bet you wish you were in my place, huh? Maybe I’ll take some pictures for you.” 

Jacob went quiet after that. More focused on working himself over in short, sporadic jerks. Cupping over his balls and squeezing with a hiss. Stroking as her hand found her wet pussy. Panting with an open mouth as he finger fucked her. Thrusting in and out roughly like he was trying to tear her open. Beckoning up until Rook’s mouth opened in a small ‘O’ from the diluted pleasure spiking through her body. 

Jacob lined himself up, making Eli wince from where he was sitting. The evidence of what he was doing would be written all over her body when she woke. From his rough hands holding onto her hips to the way his jeans—not fully pulled down—rubbed against her thighs. 

He wasn’t gentle when he pulled out and slammed back in. It made Rook’s entire body bounce, something that Jacob took notice of when he reached up to grab her tit. He rolled her flesh around between his fingers, leaning in close to bite down on her nipple. 

He winced when he drew back. “Hope you don’t mind me sending back a wounded soldier, Palmer.” His hand tweaked her nipple, where his teeth marked hard enough to draw blood. 

He had nothing to say to that. Eyes floating away from the screen to focus on something else, trying to control his breathing before he smashed the damn thing. 

Those noises made his heart sink. 

Jacob was enjoying it. And nearing his end. Speaking too quietly for Eli to hear properly. He could see the smile on that man’s face. That he was speeding up just barely, angling his hips until his muscles tensed and her faltered. 

He wasn’t one for pillow talk, not even man enough to let Eli know where she was before she caught frostbite. She was still open and bare as Jacob tucked himself back in and stood. 

With a passing glance at Rook’s unconscious body he fiddled with the radio again. Searching for the words. “You might wanna hurry up and come get her. I’ll come back in an hour to collect my pet, don’t want her dying on us, now do we?”

She’d be awake by then. But not strong enough to fend off Jacob. Not lucid enough to find her way home. She might just lead him right to the wolf’s den. 

He needed to find her.

He had to. 


	52. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A soulmate au soulmates can hear, in their heads, music their soulmate is singing or humming

Whoever her soulmate was, they were starting to scare her. Making her jumpy and paranoid whenever she was out destroying cult property. When she was meant to be taking down Joseph's operation she couldn’t help but wonder who God intended her to be with. 

The taste he had in music wasn’t bad, just different. Like he wasn’t born in the right time period, oldies playing off in his head. It hadn’t bothered her before, when she grew old enough to take value in the songs he liked. She actually enjoyed his view in music, so very different to her own. Sometimes she wondered if he ever hated the songs she listened to, pop and hip-hop. Newer ones featured on the radio and scoring on top 100 lists. 

Now that she was in Hope though, surrounded by crazies, she was terrified. The music that popped around her soulmates head reverberated in her own. And they all focused on the same damn thing. 

Eden’s Gate. 

The same songs blaring on their confined radios is what she heard in her head. It was a Romeo Juliet story if she ever saw one. Except one of them would probably kill the other. They were on different sides of the same war. 

Rook found her way to Joseph’s barbed wire compound late one night. Unable to sleep because her soulmate never seemed to sleep either, probably listening to music while he worked. 

It was laughably easy to infiltrate his base. To scale the fence and dodge his faithful until she eased the heavy wooden doors of his church open. Despite it nearing midnight people were still inside. 

The Father himself stood on stage, a small gathering of his people hanging onto his every word in a circle. He spoke softly, soft enough for her to realize he wasn’t preaching. Just speaking, aiding his people late at night. 

She hid behind the pews, not close enough to hear. Because she had every intention of talking to the man himself, she didn’t need it listen in on his conversations. She had thousands of questions that needed answering. Surely if someone thought she was their soulmate, the harbinger of the end, they’d have a chat with their Father. 

When they filed out Rook held her breath. Waiting for him to come down the aisle for her to catch him. 

“You can come out now.”

_He doesn’t know. He can’t. He’s paranoid and making sure no one’s sneaking around._

“Rook. You needn’t hide from me. You’ve come here for a reason. Don’t be shy, come speak to me.” 

Fuck.

She stood slowly, her hand hovering over her pistol. He tracked her movements and sighed. 

“There’s no need for that.”

“I—“ her eyes slammed shut. Body going tense. She was tired and scared and this was such a stupid idea. “I have a problem.”

Joseph only quirked an eyebrow. Curiously tilting his head at her. Encouraging her to continue. 

“It’s my soulmate.”

He smiled at that. Daring to walk towards her, reaching out to grab her hands and pull them both into the open aisle. “You’ve met your soulmate?” 

“No. Not exactly. But...he’s here. I’m sure of it. And I don’t think I want him.”

Joseph was left floundering. Fingers squeezing hers tight. She always assumed he was good at soothing people, easing their fears and making everything okay. She guess no one’s ever come to him with this kind of problem. 

“But he’s your other half. The one God intends you to be with. What could possibly be so bad about him?”

“He’s one of yours.” She hissed. Pulling back and spinning on her heel. She flung her hands up to tug at her hair, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. 

When she glanced over her shoulder she saw a tiny smile on his face, his head tipped up towards the heavens, mumbling some sort of prayer. When he refocused back on her he laughed. “This is perfect. Don’t you see, Rook? This can bridge the gap between Eden’s Gate and the resistance.” 

She was quiet, and relief hit her so hard because it occurred to her all at once that he wasn’t her soulmate. He was surprised. Acting like this was new information. Thank god. Turns out He was merciful after all. She didn’t think she could live with herself if she was meant to be with a cult leader. She could barely take some low level grunt. 

“That’s not what’s gonna happen. You’re naive to think that.” She whispered. 

“The resistance listens to you, they owe it to you. And my followers listen to me. We can change a lot here. The bloodbath can end.” 

He was speaking crazy again. Making her seethe. She was stupid coming here, thinking she’d find answers. She went to storm out, a hand on the wooden door before she spoke again. “Just, answer me this Joseph. Has anyone, anyone at all, spoken about me? Have they mentioned having a soulmate belonging to the resistance.”

“It happens a lot more than you’d think.”

Her eyes slammed shut, finally letting out her tears. She slipped out into the night with a mumbled thank you. 

*****

Joseph must’ve spoke to his brothers about what she asked him that night in his church. Because when John got his hands on her he was _excited_. Absolutely bursting to speak to her. And not about sin. 

He came bouncing through the door, whistling softly and shooting her a wink. That was telling in itself.

Rook breathed out a sigh, her muscles going lax. It wasn’t him. He had come in whistling, he had been thinking of some sort of song and that song wasn’t reverberating around her head. 

It was just some peggie. Not a high status maniac. She could breathe easy again. 

“Deputy, what a pleasure to have you here again in my company. Right where you belong might I add.”

“Fuck off John, not in the mood.”

He pouted at her, hip jutting out with a huff. “Oh that’s no way to speak to me, dear.”

She leaned forward in her bonds, a glare heavy in her eyes. “And why’s that?”

He smiled. Giddy for once. And if she hadn’t been stressing for the past month she’d feel sorry for him. He obviously didn’t have a soulmate of his own, and he thought she was it. That she could heal his broken parts like soulmates were meant to. 

Wrath only fuels Wrath. They never would’ve worked. 

“Well…” He drew his words out, slamming down on his knees to get eye level with her. “That’s because Joseph told me everything.” His finger, shaky as all hell, reached out to brush back a curl from her face. “You’re mine, and you’ve been running from me this whole time. Such a stubborn girl, aren’t you?”

“You must be desperate to think that.”

He pursed his lips. Eyes scanning over her face. “This is a cruel joke.”

“Let. Me. Go.” She snarled through gritted teeth. Done with his games. It was clear the only reason she was here was because he thought they were soulmates. 

John stood up quick. Fingers tightening into fists. “I’m going to make you bleed. You’re going to fucking scream, Deputy. Right until you stop playing these mind games. 

He was true to his word. Etching words into her skin with a sharp blade. Liar on her rib cage. Temptress stretching between her shoulder blades. Pride on her inner thigh. He tossed her out of his bunker after that. After she sat limp in her chair with mouth still clamped shut. He let her go with a growl to never come back. 

She’d do so gladly. 

*****

_Only you...can make the darkness bright._

_Only you…_

Replaying over and over and over in her head. She knew what that meant. She knew who was behind it. She just wasn’t sure _he_ knew it. Rook had a feeling he’d be acting a hell of a lot more smug about it. It’d be something more to tease her about, another thing to string her along. 

She whined, burying her head in her folded arms. Trying to sleep despite the gnawing pit in her stomach demanding food. 

“Still with us, dep?” The clanging of his boot against the metal bars drilled in her head, making her curl further into herself. She was hardly a threat to him, which is why he popped open her cage and strolled in without a care in the world. 

That almost made her want to cry. 

Their special song was still playing off in her head, coming right from his own. He reached in his pocket to reveal the wooden box she came to know so well. “You know what’s coming next, soldier.” He rumbled out. Making chills run up her spine. “This is what, your sixth time now? I bet your body knows the routine now. I bet your muscles are already itching to move and you can’t figure out why. C’mon, make me proud this time.”

The first few notes played out as he whistled softly along. The song in her head came to life in front of her despite his lips staying still. It couldn’t get anymore clear than that. 

_It was him._

_He was hers._

_She was his._

“Wait!” Suddenly she was moving. Scrambling forward on hands and knees, seeing the curious raise of his eyebrows. “W-wait. Listen.” Out of instinct she clapped the music box closed, knocking it from his palm and drowning them in silence. Even the song in her head stopped. 

For that he hit her. Hard. Used the back of his hand to strike her cheek and send her sprawling to the floor. 

Her brows scrunched. Conjuring up a song from her childhood. One she played on repeat to try to ease the painful, melancholy songs her soulmate would listen to. One she hoped and prayed he would recognize. 

The first few keys played out with her face stuck in the dirt. Content that he had heard her song clearly. She felt a hand on the small of her back. 

“Rook…” 

She didn’t move. Too scared, still reeling from his hit and the conditioning. 

“Rook, look at me,” Jacob said softly, his voice dangerous and on edge. She did as he asked only out of fear. Knowing full well she was too weak to resist. 

Their eyes met and in them she saw guilt. Endless waves of guilt that made her soul rip into shreds. 

“Oh. Oh, honey, c’mere.” He was gathering her in his arms. Crowding her on his lap and laying kisses on the crown of her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know.” Rook closed her eyes. Nuzzling into his chest, desperate to seek out some sort of warmth after countless nights spent on the muddy ground. 

And on and on like that.

“I’m sorry. So fucking sorry.” 


	53. Mine To Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob has finally gotten Rook, for good this time, and slowly realizes the feelings he has for her. He lets himself be “weakened” by jealousy and punishes Rook because she asked him about Staci

When she traded herself over for her friends Jacob had called her a traitor. Even if it did ultimately benefit his family. He laughed, on the verge of questioning her morals. On the other hand his brothers praised her. Though that was before throwing her into Jacob’s arms. 

Believing she’d be tamed that way. 

Two weeks was really all it took. The same as everyone else in that way. Being kept in a cage--submissive--brought out something different in people. She followed him like a puppy whenever he let her out of her barred prison. Eyes hungrily taking in the scenery around her.

When he noticed her head swinging around, eyes wide, he thought she was looking for escape routes. Planning something. He punished her for that, fractured a rib he hit her so hard.

It was only when Staci joined them an hour later that he realized what she was looking for. She had to stop herself from rushing to him, he saw the way the dwindling muscles in her legs twitched. 

Maybe she was more tame since she first came. Actually bothering to look towards him for approval in the hopes that he would give her the go-ahead. Allow her one comfort in the past few weeks when there was no end in sight. 

He didn’t. Just gave a curt nod for Pratt to take the lead and for her to trail along behind him like she always did. It was jealousy that made him refuse. She was his prize, a gift after all he’s done for Eden’s Gate. He wasn’t about to have that squandered because her loyalties still laid with her fellow deputy.

Rook was antsy after that. Even in her cage, always pacing, fingers swirling in the dirt. Itching to ask him something, he was sure. He could tell in each conversation they had where metal was placed between them.

“Are you ready to get out of here, deputy?” She was skittish. Nervous. Eyes not meeting his.  
  
“Do you think I am? Are you--” She swallowed, visibly wincing from the lack of water, “Are you gonna keep your end of the deal?” His end of the deal. In an instant his mind flitted back to Pratt. He promised she’d get to see his little pet project just once, the one he never wanted in the first place. A man who he broke in order to make strong. Jacob knew for a fact that Peaches wouldn’t survive without him, that Pratt’s therapist would know all about him if he ever got out of the county with half a sane mind.

“Depends.” He knelt down, fingers hooking under her chin to force her eyes to meet his. “Depends if you play by the rules.”

She nodded. Overeager and childlike. It almost made him laugh. 

“C’mon then.” 

The moment the cage swung open she was on him. Sticking to his side with wandering eyes exploring the inside of the building they walked through. Taking it in again, maybe looking for Staci, maybe just afraid.

There was that urge again, to punish the wrong in her. Her having those feelings for Pratt was wrong in his mind. It was pointless when she wouldn’t be seeing him again. Not like she knew that. He never minded lying to get his way. 

He wheeled on her quick, carving her off guard and caging her in with his body, slamming her against the nearest wall. “You really has the nerve to ask about him again. You just had to play with fucking fire, pup.”

Her eyes went wide with fright. Fear settling in her stomach as she peered up at him through her lashes. “Jacob—“

“No. Quiet.” He grabbed her around the throat, squeezing. Her hands flew up in an instant to wrap around his wrists. “Do yourself a favor and listen.” He enunciated his words by squeezing even tighter, lips curling up in a snarl. “I thought you’d learn by now. He is nothing.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to speak, he could feel her throat bob, words trying to edge past where his hand was wrapped around her neck. “Are we clear? He’s nothing. And if you ask about him again I’ll have my men chop his head off and put it on a damn pike.”

All at once he released her. Taking a step back when she crumpled against the floor. “We clear?”

Rook nodded frantically, a whine slipping past her lips, unable to use her bruised larynx. 

“Good girl, pup. Good girl.” 


	54. Aphrodisiac (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob gets hit with a new formula of bliss which just so happens to be an aphrodisiac

The first thing he realized when he came to was that his memory was a fuzzy, discombobulated mess. And of course, the cold. Surrounding him like a blanket. Chilling down to the bone and seeping past his clothes until his teeth were chattering. Something he tried to stop by clamping down on his tongue until he tasted blood. 

His thoughts wandered, still in a hazy mix between wakefulness and near death, content to lay freezing while he tried to piece together his fractured memory. The only reasonable explanation his addled mind could form while still blinking in and out of consciousness was a hunting trip gone wrong. Jacob winced, hand trying to move to press up against his temple only to twitch at his side. 

No, no that didn’t seem right, though. Whether he was hunting animals or people, that couldn’t he the reason. Not when he was left resting on the forest floor with his weapons all in place and, as far as he could tell, no bones broken or limbs gone.

Far from a vicious animal. 

He’d be fine. It just felt like his head was going to explode. 

The second thing he noticed was the sudden shadow that blocked out the sun and made him even colder. 

“Oh good, you’re still alive. I was starting to think I was gonna get blamed for your death.” 

Jacob tried to get up, to reach for his knife or rifle, anything to defend himself. Even a rock would do, he’d done a lot with much less. He got as far as his knees before his body gave out and sent him sprawling on his stomach with a puff of air leaving his lungs. 

His head craned up, wincing at the headache pounding right behind his eyes. “Oh.”

Rook sneered, wrangling her bag further up her shoulders as her lip curled. “‘Oh’ that’s all you’ve got for me? You’re lucky I found you.” When he only shot her a blank eyed stare she elaborated. “Your lips are turning blue and it’s way below freezing. What’re you doing out here?”

He tried to put together some coherent form of words. Some explanation that would appease her. All that came out was a slurred mess that he’d barely call English. 

She was right. He was damn lucky, hypothermia was already setting in. 

“Did someone try to kill you?” Rook mused, even if her actions went against her harsh, teasing words—she was reaching out to grab him, giving him a once over like she expected more wounds to be the cause of him going down—“a traitor in the midst perhaps?” 

He grunted when his legs refused to hold his weight. Once again surprised how strong she was. Able to keep them both standing long enough for him to regain his balance. 

That didn’t stop his mind from swimming. 

“What’s the last thing you remember?” She tried again, taking a step forward hesitantly, moving on when he didn’t immediately crumple. 

“Faith.” He didn’t add more. It was hardly her business. 

“Ooh, top secret cult stuff?”

“Mhm.” He grunted through the pain, “bliss.” He remembered that much. But that wasn’t his concern. He was instead focusing on his words, how they sounded all wrong. Like he had his broken jaw. But nothing really hurt. 

“Looks like it fucked you up, soldier.” 

Jacob managed a huff that she guessed was the closest he’d ever give her to a laugh. Head tipping forward to focus on taking one step after the other. “Never said I got near enough to take any.” Not like he remembered. Why couldn’t he remember? 

She laughed this time around, it was stronger than his, pretty too. It made his knees tremble. “I could smell the bliss on you from a mile away. That’s how I found you.”

He tried not to pinpoint that feeling. Tried not to even think about what Faith did to him. Because whatever she had done was making his heart pound dangerously fast. His breathing picked up, coming out in stuttering drags, feet barely picking up in the snow as she yanked him forward. 

“C’mon, gotta get back to my car before we both freeze.” 

Yet he didn’t feel cold. Could just be the hypothermia. God only knows how long he was left out in the woods. But the heat he felt was deeper than that. Something he’s never experienced before. 

His head fell forward. Eyes slamming shut, relying on Rook to move them forward. “Fuck.” 

“Are you okay?”

He hadn’t registered her words until they stopped moving. 

“Mm.” 

She sighed, “that’s not an answer.” But she left it at that. Their conversation dwindling off until they reached her car. Warm and inviting, smoke leaking from the exhaust, creating a cloud in the frigid air. 

It was a wonder that she trusted him in the passenger seat. Not tied up. He must’ve mentioned it without realizing because she laughed at him. “You’re still blissed out of your mind Jacob. You’re not much of a threat.”

He wanted to argue. To refute, again, that he hadn’t gone near any bliss. He wouldn’t dare. He stayed clear of every single Faith up to date because that stuff was volatile; but this Faith was different. Smarter despite her checkered past and young age. Always trying to one up what achievement she did before. Searching for Joseph’s approval. Pride shining in her eyes when he announced the new batch she worked tirelessly on would be used at John’s baptisms from now on, or that Jacob would need to use what she had made specifically for predators on his Judges. 

He was gonna kill her. Not even take it up with Joseph, he’d understand. This kind of transgression--leaving Jacob to die without anyone knowing where he was--she was already a dead woman. 

Speaking of Joseph…

“Where’re you dropping me off?”

Rook snorted, eyeing him warily. Would he try something if she gave an answer he didn’t like? “I’m not gonna try taking you to one of your outposts, no way. I’ll get shot to pieces.”

“Then where are we going?” There was the very audible click of his seatbelt coming undone, then he was turning in his seat to face her. “You going to take me as a trophy? Parade me through the streets?”

A hand on her thigh made her foot stutter on the accelerator. It tightened minutely. Sliding up and meeting the apex of her thigh, right where her crotch was. Rook sank her teeth into her bottom lip, trying to focus on the road and him at the same time. She was going to get them killed. 

His middle finger extended to play with her button and zipper. Tugging the zip down slowly in his drugged state. Her button came next, making an amplified pop in the quiet of her car. 

“Jacob…”

“Shut the fuck up, dep.”

“Balsy for someone at a disadvantage.”

Jacob was on her quick for a man dosed with bliss. Half sitting on her lap in a moment, beard scratching at her neck as he attacked her throat. She jolted at the feel of sharp canines piercing her skin. 

She tried to shake him off, all 200 pounds of him, with just her elbow. Not willing to take her hands off the wheel. 

“Stop fighting.” He pushed her arm down, trapping it against her rib cage. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, couldn’t explain it if she asked. He just knew that there was heat in his belly and he was getting hard. He shifted, wincing when his cock dragged against the confines of his jeans. 

He muttered a soft, “christ,” reaching his free hand down to pull himself out. Sighing at the release in pressure. 

“Oh no, no, no, absolutely not.” Rook slammed on the brakes. Uncaring in how Jacob flew forward, elbow bashing roughly on the dash to stop himself. She was out of the car in an instant, pacing back and forth, running her hands through her hair. 

Jacob made a feeble attempt to follow her. From where he was watching he seemed more clear headed when he took steps towards her. He pounced on her when she turned on her heel, presumably to get back in her car and leave him stranded. 

Rook didn’t fight him when he pulled her to his chest, her back still to him. She went shockingly still, a deer freezing upon seeing a wolf. It was cute. All that bravado gone at the first sign of danger. And it went right to Jacob’s cock. Which was pushing into her ass insistently. Begging for attention. 

Rook let out a stuttered breath at the contact. At the sheer possibility of what she could do. No one was here, no one would know a damn thing. None of her friends could call her traitor or tease her for rolling over just because a cock was thrusted in front of her. 

A sharp, sudden bite on her neck made her yelp. He soothed the mark with his tongue, easing the pain momentarily before biting again on the other side and repeating the action of a soft kiss where a bruise was already forming. 

“See, dep. You want this just as much as I do.” The husky tone in his voice, the slight rasp, it made her whine and lean back into him. Asking for more. 

  
“C’mon, use your words.” But he was already guiding her towards her car, spinning her round so she was bent over the hood. “Tell me what ya want, pup.” His hands smoothed over her ass, squeezing appreciatively. He grabbed a handful and wolf whistled, bringing his hand up and striking down just to watch her flesh bounce behind her tight pants. 

Without warning he was undoing her jeans. Lifting her up easily with his strength to get at her belt. With her button and zipper undone he wasted no time hooking his fingers in her belt loops and pulling down. He left her pants pooled at her ankles, rendering her immobible. Unable to do much as far as resisting went.

Not like she would. She was ashamed to admit that that was the furthest thing from her mind right now. Maybe later she would replay this moment, all the things she could’ve done differently. That it would’ve been so easy to shoot him dead, to even lock him up and see justice brought to him. 

Instead all that she wanted was to get dicked down by Jacob.

“Here we go, dep. Breathe for me.”

She kept her fingers splayed out on the hood of the car, not glancing over her shoulder because she could see him so clearly through the reflection of the car. She could hear the wet thrusting sound his cock made as he fist moved fast around it. Followed by the sound of him spitting. Then there was a wetness by her hole, sliding down past her cheeks.

“You are not fucking my ass.” 

Jacob laughed. A hardy sound that made slick pool between her legs. “Oh, I am totally fucking your ass, honey.” As if to prove his point he swirled a finger around her taint, applying the smallest amount of pressure. It was surprisingly enough with only his spit. Allowing his digit to enter up the the second knuckle.

The foreign pain made her arch her back, pulling a moan from his chest at how broken she sounded. “I bet you feel like heaven, huh?” She could hear the slight slur still present in his voice, how drugged he still was, fighting their pull. Probably why he didn’t wait to stretch her more. Because the next thing she felt when he pulled his finger out was the much larger press of his cock head. Nudging at her hole like a wolf in heat searching for his mark. 

He went slow, a low moan escaping his throat when his head popped in with a wet squelch. “You feel like a fucking virgin.” He spoke through gritted teeth, seeing stars as her walls clamped down on him. As if to stop his progress.

He wasn’t about to let that happen.

“Ready?” Jacob’s hand came down to rest beside her hand, making another inch slide in.

Rook huffed annoyance, “been ready for a while now, old man.”

He slammed into her hard for a comment like that. Not getting very far, only serving to bruise her hole. He rocked his hips despite her body’s protest, trying to push himself deeper. His hands stayed on her waist, grabbing her with rough hands that would leave marks for her to remember this come tomorrow. 

Rook arched her back in a whine, eyes closed tight from pain. 

“How we doing down there, honey?” Jacob asked in a whisper, leaning down to cover her body with his own. His beard scratching at her throat where he kissed her, easing some discomfort. “Want more?” 

The idea that he was holding back scared the hell out of her. She breathed out slow, bracing her hands on the hood of the car, trying not to look at her wide eyed reflection. 

In the next moment he was jamming his cock into her harder, forcing himself in deeper. Tearing her apart and making tears come to her eyes. She didn’t want to give him anything, but she found herself whining and yelping with each inch that slide home.

Down to the base like he was, his pelvis knocked into hers, she could finally breathe again. He didn’t give her warning for when he started up again. Just went for it, thrusting real slow into her ass. “There we go, Rook. There’s my good girl.” 

One hand stayed on her waist to hold her in place--like she could go anywhere--while the other stayed on his hip. If she wasn’t splayed out below him with her pants down one might think he looked relaxed.

The pain eventually faded into a dull ache that with each push inside made her inside heat up. He adopted a steady pace that turned her brain to mush, thrusting into her in unhurried strokes like he had all the time in the world. There’s a lingering burn that she doubts will go away when he pulls his cock out. It’s the kind of burn that’ll be with her for days. Forcing her to remember. 

Jacob kissed her wherever he could reach, leaning back down again and ignoring her cry of pain. “Look at you, Rook. You’re being so good for me. Taking it--” A particularly harsh thrust that he immediately apologized for with a shushed hum, “Taking it like you were made for this.” Rook, so far gone, reached a hand behind her to claw at the bottom of Jacob’s shirt, trying to get a firm grip on something, anything, when Jacob picked up the pace, pounding into her until she yelled. 

Jacob’s quiet when he cums. Nothing more than a small groan and an animalistic grunt that tells her he finished. She’s still rocking back into him, gaining a small amount of satisfaction at the way his body shuddered at the over stimulation. She took a small amount of pride in that right up until he reached around to bury his fingers between her folds. 

He ran over her clit again and again, too sensitive as it is. She cums embarrassingly fast into his hand, not missing the way he brought his hand away to lick off her slick from his fingers.

Jacob didn’t take long to fix himself, then again he didn’t have cum running down his thighs like she did. He stood back, staring at her pussy when she stayed bent over. 

She was shaky when she turned around, hesitating to grab at her pants and panties with the mess he had. Jacob made her mind up for her, closing the gap between them to bend over and pull up her pants with her panties. Rook cringed at the feeling of wetness. 

“W-what now?”

“I’m still trying to figure out how the fuck I ended up frozen in the woods...I’m dead tired, Rook. So how about we both walk away. And you,” he laughed, pulling her closer by her belt loops, “can go back home and look your friends in their eyes knowing you walked all that way with my cum stuffing you full.”

She must’ve not hidden her surprise well because he snorted, backing up a step. “You’re actually considering letting me go? After everything we’ve been through?” 

Jacob sneered, “you make it sound like we’re lovers.” He held up his palm when she went to protest. “But yes. I am. Besides, if you haven’t learned by now that I have control over you, pup, you’ll find out soon enough. I can bring you running home whenever I feel the need.” 

The double meaning to his words made her flush and she let out a shaky breath despite herself.

“Maybe sometime next week, huh?”

Rook smirked, trying to raise her chin up in a show of confidence. “Oh, I look forward to it Jacob. Maybe next time you’ll let me on top.”

Jacob turned on his heel with a bark of laughter. “Next time I plan on teaching you some respect, sweetheart.” 


	55. Vampire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob faces the difficult choice of changing Rook or letting her die

Rook wasn’t sure how long she’d been running. Only that Jacob was at least two steps behind her, and for once he wasn’t the one chasing her.

He was protecting her. She realized that half a mile back when a wolf had gotten a little too close, snapping at her heels, almost grabbing at her shirt tail flapping in the wind and Jacob reached back to haul her in front of him. 

She didn’t have to ask why he was helping her. It was just human nature to run in the same direction when the wolves boxed the two of them. Strength in numbers and all that. They weren’t the highest threat to each other at the moment. 

Except she didn’t much like their odds. Jacob took her weapons, patted her down and chucked her guns and knives to the side before pointing her in the direction of his truck. He had a rifle, she felt it back then when he jammed it between her shoulder blades.

It was nowhere in sight now though. Leaving them vulnerable. 

“Here.” He made a sharp right turn, bolting past her, and she scrambled to follow. Almost falling at the sudden change in direction. She caught sight of the wolves chasing them. The largest at their head—the alpha. Snapping his sharp teeth at her, fur raised high on his back. 

He was fucking _huge._ Probably the largest wolf she’s ever seen. And when it stood on its haunches to howl, holy fuck, it stood well over 6 feet. No wonder Jacob was running. 

“Up...up, c’mon girl.” Suddenly he was grabbing her by the forearms. Manhandling her, practically tossing her up a rocky wall and following suit. 

His hands, palms flat, dug into the meat of her ass. Pushing her up further until her hands found purchase. 

Rook almost wanted to call him smart, give credit where it was due. Further back along the mountainside he spotted was a small, sorry excuse of a cave that she wasted no time crawling into it as far as she could go. It was wet and humid with sharp edges everywhere. Jacob was quick behind her, looking far less ragged than her. 

“Jacob?” She panted, brows quirked down in panic. 

He merely grunted in response. Eyes not on her, focusing instead on the wide mouth of the cave where they could clearly hear the wolves attempts to get at them. 

“Are we okay?”

There was too long of a beat. One filled with their heavy breaths and the growling wolves feet below them. “Jacob.”

He shushed her with a dismissive wave of his hand. Not even bothering to look at her. “Hush, pup. Trying to listen.”

“For what?”

He snarled at her, another snap of ‘quiet!,’ making her shrink back. Finally--when whatever he was listening for appeased him--he crawled over to where she was sitting with her knees pulled against her chest.

“Don’t think we’re getting out of here anytime soon.”

“We can’t stay. We’ll freeze.” 

Jacob grunted. Though she wasn’t sure if that was him agreeing or not. But if she knew that there was a chance they’d be there for longer than an afternoon she would hardly have been concerned with freezing. No, starvation would’ve been higher on her list.

Now though, when an afternoon turned into a week. Starvation was top on that list, the cold just secondary. 

That’s what was happening, right? Even if Jacob didn’t say it aloud, they both knew how it felt to go hungry. The only difference between them being that he had been right at death’s door. His body ate away his muscles until there was nothing left, and he never knew if he’d live at the end of the day. She knew controlled starving. As silly as that sounded. It was the kind used for torture. Days locked in a cage without food and yet she knew Jacob wouldn’t kill her. He didn’t let people die due to starvation under his watch. She knew that eventually she’d eat something again. 

But now…

“Jacob, I’m scared.”

He used the last dregs of his energy to reach over and pull her to his chest. It staved off the cold at least. “Why haven’t they gone away?”

“You saw ‘em, right? Last week when we were running. Didja see how big they are?”

“Mhm.” No more energy to talk. Just to whimper and whine. 

“They aren’t normal.”

Rook wanted to cry. She wanted to kick and scream. No doubt this was Jacob’s fault. Or maybe Faith’s. It had to be bliss related. Some experiment gone wrong that no one except the Seeds knew about. 

“So we’re gonna die.” It wasn’t a question. He heard the defeat in her voice. The awful racking pain that each word brought her. 

“Just sleep, pup. Just rest.”

*****

Jacob didn’t know if she was going to wake up again. A week without food. The last of their water gone yesterday. Jacob almost hoped she’d pass easily in her sleep so he wouldn’t have to deal with her. Which in the end meant turning her. Biting her skin, putting a mark on her neck that would never go away...Could he live with that? Knowing he changed her, that he mucked up her entire life that went far behind any kind of conditioning. 

He might not have a choice.

Jacob was doing fine. Weaker, yes. Food would do that to anyone, even if said person was immortal. Starvation still hurt. 

He knew he could get through those pack of wolves--werewolves to be exact--he was strong. A damn vampire. But they’d tear Rook to shreds. And he wasn’t quite ready to see her go. He’d gotten attached, even when he promised she was Joseph’s pet project to convert. He liked her. She was loyal and strong. 

Jacob wouldn’t forgive himself if he let her die. And his siblings would ask too many questions. Questions he’d lie about out of shame. 

He sighed, pressing a kiss into the crown of her hair, feeling her breathe out gently in response. Not dead yet. His finger reached under her throat, immediately finding her heartbeat. She wouldn’t last much longer, and those werewolves would stay until they came out. They could smell them both. This wasn’t out of hunger. It was anger. A vampire on their territory and a human with the purest of flesh who had no business here. 

They wouldn’t turn her though. No, they’d tear her throat out. With that bloody image seared into his brain, he made a choice. 

*****

She was floating between wakefulness and death. Through the haze of it all she registered the constant that was Jacob. His warmth and his voice, the roughness of his hands as he cupped her cheeks and tilted her head to the side.

If her body would cooperate she’d tell him leave. Or at least ask why he hasn’t abandoned her. Yet. The fog in her mind was clearing up just a little, allowing her to hone in on the sounds of him moving about. Scuffling around the cave they made home. Putting out the fire and clipping his empty canteen back on his belt.

He was getting ready to go.

It took all her willpower to force her eyes open. His back was to her, though she must’ve made some sort of noise because his head whipped around lightning fast. “Still alive, Rook?”

Rook didn’t respond. Just blinked once. If she wasn’t about to pass out she’d see the frown he wore when she kept quiet.

“We gotta get out of here.” He explained softly, moving back over to her side. Once again he cupped her cheeks, sliding down until his large hands brackated her throat. She made a pained noise. Knowing exactly how he intended for her to leave. He was going to strangle her. After all she’s done since she’s gotten to Hope County. She avoided death so many times, become a one man army, just to be choked without given a fighting chance.

Cull the herd.

Sacrifice the weak.

  
Rook laughed, she was the epitome of weak. The poster child for weakness if you would. 

“Stay still.”

She braced herself, wondering momentarily how painful it would feel to die in such a way. For your lungs to struggle for air and not able to not get any. How long would it take for her to pass out? To truly die afterwards? She meant to ask him but he was already on her. Leaning in close, beard scratching over her throat. 

Then he sunk his teeth into her flesh.

His canines were unnaturally sharp. Like mini daggers. Slicing through her skin with ease. She jolted, her legs kicking feebly. He just couldn't let her go easily. It had to be painful every step of the way. 

“D-did you just...bite me?”

Jacob didn’t answer her, instead speaking in a soft, hushed tone like she was a frightened animal. “Almost over Rook. Stay calm. Breathe for me, pup.” 

But Rook couldn’t. It felt like there was a weight on her chest. One moment she was dying, sinking into peaceful oblivion. The next there was a fire burning in her veins. Making every inhale absolute hell. 

Her muscles twitched and spasmed, crying out in agony. “What did you do to me?” She felt hot tears run down her cheeks. Fear making her heart clench. 

“It’s fine, deputy. You’re fine—“

“I don’t feel fine.” Spoken in a whisper, the end of her sentence giving out to a whine. 

“Just making you stronger so we can get out of here. Don’t worry.”

Rook stopped listening to him. Instead curling up in the fetal position. Sobs racked her body. She flinched when Jacob placed a large hand on the small of her back in an act she assumed was meant to be soothing. 

The sun was up when Jacob had sunk his teeth into her neck and made her bleed. By the time her head was clear and she could think again it was dark outside. 

Her hand found her neck. Running gingerly over the prominent bite marks there. Terrified of the feeling running through her body. Of the heat that coursed its way through her and made her feel stronger. Faster in every aspect of the word. 

She immediately scanned for Jacob. A jolt of fear prickling through her at the thought that he left her when she couldn’t have felt more lost and confused. 

He was sitting at the mouth of the cave, back to her with his head resting in his palm. Though, somehow, he heard her stand despite how quiet she was. He glanced over his shoulder and she swore she saw a glimmer of pride in his eyes when he gave her a once over. 

“C’mon, Rook. ‘Bout time we get outta here, huh?” He smiled at her. A real smile that reached his eyes. “Together this time. Hell, probably for the rest of time.” 


	56. Regrets pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob begins to regret conditioning Rook

“Rook. Rook, look at me. Do you hear me? Are you—fucking hell—are you even in there still? Or have I lost you?”

After all the trust Joseph put into him, letting him be responsible for bringing their lamb home, Jacob had gone and screwed it up. Joseph had pushed their heads together with such fervor that it made his chest ache. There was a whispered note of worry in his voice when he told told Jacob how very proud he was of how far he’d come from the withering man sleeping on a second hand cot in a forgotten shelter. That if anyone could do it, it would be him. 

“At least say something.”

Nothing. Not a blink or the slightest stir. No snarky response that would get his heart racing like it used to. 

“Speak, Rook.” He urged her. Grabbed tight to her shoulders and for the first time since he came back from war he felt like crying. 

He held it together. For now. Just get through the day. Another day with the monster he’s built. 

He was meant to guide Rook. To push her hand just a little bit until she saw clearly. Jacob was supposed to bring her home. Not to ruin her. 

“ Why are you angry, sir?” Finally speaking. A phrase here or there. Sometimes he wished she’d be quiet like before. 

“You should’ve yelled at me. Or hit me. Give me something, kitten.” 

“I’ll give you anything, sir, if that’s what you want from me. Just say the word—“

“Yeah. I say jump you ask how fucking high. I know, Rook. Piss off back to your room.”

She was nothing more than a shell. A husk. Someone who killed for him time and time again. A guard who stood silent by his side ready to jump in front of his body like a human shield without hesitation. Those kinds of soldier were conveinviant. Once upon a time Joseph didn’t mind what he had done to build their army. 

“Leave me be, Rook.”

“But—“

“Leave.”

“Yes, sir. Sorry.”

Jacob never knew madness before now. He wanted her gone. Dead even. But no one would take her. This was his mess.

Jacob could see the disappointment in Joseph’s eyes when he saw her walk two steps behind Jacob like a shadow. Jacob was too scared to admit that it made him just as uneasy. The air was somber within their family, despite the rejoicing that spread among their flock. He was praised endlessly for taking down the sinner that escaped their grasp. For bringing her into the fold and to stop her chaos once a for all. Eden was safe once again. 

“ Hit me.” 

Her brow scrunched. A program malfunctioning at a command not yet perfected.

“I can’t.”

“Hit. Me.”

“Sir…”

“Hit me! That’s an order, soldier!” 

She broke just a tad bit more from that. Torn between his conditioning and the conflicting orders he gave her that seemed too much like a test. He left her shaking, standing in the middle of his office until night fell with the command to get some sleep. 

This wasn’t Rook with him, this was someone else entirely. Just a thing taking up space. His family resented him for what he did. 

He loved her. His little spitfire. A ball of wrath and pure strength to match his own. The amount of sleepless nights he spent up lying in bed thinking about her, how one day she’d finally be fighting alongside with him...the thought made him giddy in a way he hadn’t been since he was a boy. They’d make a perfect team. But John would’ve been better off dealing with her. Maybe she would’ve been happy instead of living in a constant state of fear for the rest of the time she had control over her mind before Jacob turned her brain to mush. 

“What do you want to do before you die, Rook?” 

“Sir?” 

Her hand stilled, clippers held right at his throat, not moving in for the kill like it should. Too weak too loyal too unlike Rook too much too too too. 

“Anything you want to learn? Maybe, I dunno, a job or a hobby.” 

“Nothing, sir. I—I don’t think. I don’t know. I just…” a deep breath. Like she was scared he’d hurt her if she said something he disliked. “I’m happy to serve you. I need to make sure you live a prosperous life in Eden's Gate after the collapse.”

Lies. Fucking lies.

He finished trimming his beard by himself. 

The sole reason they hadn’t given her to Faith was the risk of losing her in the bliss. Oh they lost her still. Just in a different way. A more complicated way. There could’ve been a chance to drag her back from the bliss. 

Jacob didn’t know how to bring her back. And that scared the shit out of him. 

She was young. A sweet lively thing that he wanted to see shine. Now he wanted to wring her neck. He couldn’t stand the sight of her. 

“Just take her, Joe. Please.” 

“Brother, we’ve had this discussion.” 

“I know—“

“Then why are we having it again?”

His eyes floated over to Rook. Where she stood in the corner of their church. Giving her a once over with a frown lingering on his face. 

“She’s not my problem.” A small whisper, barely there and almost lost. 

“You’re the one who wanted her. We could’ve killed her long ago, save a lot of lives and money. But you wanted to see her here. With you. So take her.” 

“I wanted Deputy Rook. Not whatever this is.”

“She’s still Rook.”

Jacob cast a long glance over to her. Nails biting into his palms at how still she was. Hands easy and relaxed on her borrowed rifle. 

“No, no Jacob. You can’t possibly believe that.” 

A keening sob ripped through the air. Ruining the silence and making Rook’s eyes blow wide. Jacob only realized it was him making such a noise when Joseph rushed forward to pull him into his chest. 

“God I’m sorry. I’m sorry Joseph. I’m so, so sorry.” 

Joseph hushed him like he was nothing more than a child. Jacob accepted it gladly though, leaned into Joseph’s embrace because he needed something stable before he fell apart. 

“It’s okay Jacob. No one blames you.”

But they did. He saw it when they thought he wasn’t looking, the pain and disgust in their eyes. They were just kind enough not to mention it. 

Jacob left with Rook trailing at his heels.

The drive home was quiet. Eerily so. A quiet that stretched on and on, the longer it got the more tense Jacob became. He shifted in his seat every minute, adjusted his hand on the wheel more often than necessary. Unable to keep still because he couldn’t bear the thought of going on like this. 

Jacob pulled off on the side of the road before he went insane, fully aware that the mountains were miles away. He stopped so abruptly that the seatbelt left a red mark where it rested on his sternum. Rook didn’t react, just looked off into the horizon, kept her head on a swivel. They’d be safe, it was more than Jacob could’ve asked for.

It would be perfect if it wasn’t Rook.

“Get out.”

“Sir?”

“Leave, Rook. Just leave. I don’t care where you go or what you do, leave Hope for all I care. I’ll make sure no one stops you. But get out of my car, please.” 

“But--”

“Leave. I’ll drag you out if I gotta. But I can’t do this anymore.” He said all this while looking straight ahead. His knuckles getting progressively whiter as they tightened around the wheel, anger making his face flushed. 

Rook moved robotically. Eyes downcast and shaking the entire time. The chill from outside made her tremble when her boots hit the ground. “You’ll come back for me, sir? Or..or did you want me to find my own way home?”

The poor thing. Jacob almost wanted to cry. Because he put her through this before, hadn’t he? When the conditioning hadn’t yet taken hold and he left her in the middle of the woods with nothing more than her ill fitted clothes. She thought this was just another test.

“No, Rook. I don’t want to see you again. Go somewhere else. Make somewhere else your home. Go--” He choked, throat constricting around his words, “Go find your friends.”

Rook closed the door when told. Stood there with her rifle clutched tight in her hands and the project issued cap pulled low over her eyes. He drove fast, until she was just a dot on the horizon instead of his Rook. 

This was fine. He was fine. Jacob could live. He could make one day turn into another. He could put his head down and just focus on today, to just survive. Then, eventually days without Rook would turn into months. Then years, he’d be an old man and she’ll be another mistake long forgotten. 

Tears blurred his eyes and for a second he prayed he’d crash. The roads were straight, impossibly so in the Valley, no real threat of crashing. Of dying and leaving all this pain and regret behind. 

Jacob’s car shuddered to a stop miles away. And just like that, all alone, he broke down wishing things had been different.


	57. Regrets pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob learns that Rook was shot on sight by the resistance, unaccepted because they knew she’d been brainwashed

Jacob tipped his head back, eyes clenched shut as he welcomed the familiar taste of beer. It was warm, burning on the way down. Stale, too, if the tingle at the back of his throat was anything to go by. But it would do the trick. If he kept on the way he was he wouldn’t even remember the news one of his own had delivered to him thirty minutes prior.

Rook, his Rook, who he tossed away thinking that for once in his miserable life he was doing the right thing, was dead. She was gone. Just another body. Another number to add to the list of casualties in Hope County. So why did it hurt so much?

It was his fault. Joseph might have said otherwise, but he wasn’t naive. If he kept Rook, maybe made sure her own people actually wanted her back instead of assuming like he had, she’d be alive. There was no refuting that.

But that just brought it back to the guilt he was feeling beforehand. Because when she was with him, she wasn’t living, just surviving.

Jacob cursed, tried to push away those intrusive thoughts with another large swallow.

The resistance claimed they hadn’t known it was her. Too dark, too paranoid. Too many fucking excuses for his liking. Jacob figured they just didn’t want her after what he did. He’d be more surprised if he hadn’t already seen this before. How others, people he’s spent time on, had been left for dead. Dumped like the garbage he claimed them to be just because they didn’t fit his definition of a soldier.

Very few of them were rescued. He didn’t mind it when they were, by that point they were no longer his concern. That’s why he left them to starve, bound up and ready to die.

Jacob was surprised the first time he heard of what happened to those he left, that the militia might have found them but not quick enough. He’s seen loved ones put bullets between their family’s eyes because they thought Jacob had sunk his claws into them. That they were a loose cannon.

It never bothered him until now.

Just a couple of days ago he had Rook safe in his arms. Waking up beside him everyday. He could’ve fixed her. He knew if he tried hard enough he could have. But he was a coward.

A lonely, little coward who hid behind walls with his soldiers and wolves for protection. Never going anywhere without armed guards because he knew he had a target on his back.

He should be ashamed. Fucking hell, what has he done? All of this misery just for his brother...it suddenly seemed absurd. Jacob let a sob out, didn’t bother to try and hold it back. No one was here to see him cry. No one could pity him or try to soothe him. Though at this moment he was sure nothing could mend the emptiness he felt deep inside his heart.

He knew what he had to do. Really it had been decided as soon as he got the news, as soon as he was sent pictures of Rook’s dead body, looking so peaceful despite the bullet in her forehead. Joseph was even kind enough to offer a funeral. Meant to be today. The invitation was there, but he couldn’t go, he couldn’t face her ghost without feeling all that guilt come rushing back.

Jacob dragged his radio closer. Knocking pens to the floor that he wouldn’t have the time to clean up if everything went to plan. With a moment's hesitation he pushed down on the single button off to the side that would allow all of those tuned in to hear him.

His men were smart, programming this radio broadcast to override every signal through the county. Even John’s commercials and Joseph’s sermons. This was more important than their scheme.

“Brothers and sisters, you’ve all heard of the snake in our garden. We know her name and her face. The woman who came to arrest the Father and bring an end to our project. We thought her evil and us just...Well maybe they had it right, because nothing bad is going to happen.” Jacob’s heart broke a little at the realization that he enabled his brothers to kill and maim when there was so much more out there for him. When he could’ve had a family of his own.

“Deputy Rook is dead, in case you haven’t heard the news. She’s dead and her friends are in our custody. Joseph preached that Rook was the harbinger of the end. If that’s true then where do we go from here? If she’s no longer with us, no longer a threat like Joseph has claimed, then surely the world isn’t ending. The collapse isn’t near. You still have a chance to leave. Pack up all your belongings, take your kids and wives and get the hell out of Hope County. Many of you felt at one point, probably your lowest, that Joseph Seed was your last hope. He was your salvation. So kind, wasn’t he? Giving you food and clothes, even allowing you an ounce of love that you thought you’d never receive.”

Jacob paused, trying to conjure up an image in his mind of the pandemonium gang must’ve been going on at Joseph’s compound. He was always blaring his own voice over the loudspeakers—they no doubt were hearing his words. Had someone, on Joseph’s command, been sent to come to the Vet Center to stop him. Afraid Jacob went off the deep end?

He had to hurry. He wanted to be gone before anyone could stop him. His things were already packed. He was going to take his own advice and try to bring as many people with him as he could. If he had to escort them himself, he would.

“You might’ve felt lost when you got here, but now you’ve learned to be strong. You can survive without Joseph and John and even me. We showed you one way to live but there is so much more. There is love out there, I promise.” He trailed off, mind straying to Rook. Dead and lifeless. “I wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow morning I won’t be here anymore. I’m cutting my ties to the project. I’ll no longer be Jacob Seed, the herald of Hope County, the one meant to lead a bunch of civilians looking for purpose into a war that shouldn’t have even started. I urge you to do the same before it’s too late.”

His finger eased off the button. Eyes slamming closed just as he heard the rising commotion outside. He knew what was going on. He gave his men instructions to let those locked in cages go. Free to walk away and find somewhere safe to live. If a place like that even exists.

He hoped others would do the same. He would try, though he wasn’t sure where to go. His record wasn’t the best, and the only reason he made it this far was because of one brother with big dreams and the other who knew his way around the law.

It may be too late for him. He cast a sidelong glance towards the mountain of suitcases plied with his belongings for when he was ready to make his great escape.

It may be too late for him, but Rook’s death would be for nothing if he didn’t try to find the love he lost.


	58. Consummation (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob arranges a marriage consummation between him and Rook

Jacob was watching her. 

Despite him having his head down, only glancing up at to check the clock that hung above his door. To an outsider, someone who didn’t know all his little quirks and ticks like she did, one might think he was focused solely on his work. 

Rook was smarter than that. Been with him long enough to know what he wanted. That he was on the edge of his seat, trying to keep his fidgeting down to a minimum. He wasn’t doing too good of a job. Hands just a tad too tight around his pencil and foot bouncing ever so slightly against the floor from time to time. 

Her feet swung where they hung off the bed. Feigning ease when there a knot in her stomach that made her feel like she was about to throw up. She swallowed that down, wanting to believe that she was strong. In control even. The ring on her finger that matched his own told her the opposite. 

“Jacob?” 

The lead of his pencil snapped at the sound of her voice. For a moment a jolt of fear ran through her body, making her raise her knees to her chest. A smart reaction really, because this was the same man who trapped her in a cage, who starved her and played with her mind until it was no longer her own.

They may be husband and wife in the eyes of the law, but there was still certain boundaries she knew not to push. 

But the anticipation was killing her. She didn’t dare sleep. Afraid to close her eyes even for a second—he was quick and silent on his feet—no doubt he would be on her before she could stop him.

He wanted her _bad._

He must’ve said something, a question maybe. Because he was staring at her expectantly. Tense lines around his eyes and mouth that made her cringe. 

“What?”

He huffed. Leaning back in his chair. Broken pencil dropped, a sound that was too loud. “I said, I thought I told you to get some sleep.” 

“...You did.”

“But you like pushing my buttons?” He ventured, and maybe she was imagining it but she was sure she heard a hint of amusement in his voice. It was gone as soon as she spotted it though. In a second his face had hardened into a mask. 

“No, no, that’d be dangerous.”

She swore she heard him mumble something that sounded like praise. Calling her _good_ and _smart._ And heat absolutely did not pool in her stomach. 

“So sleep, Rook.”

“No.”

Jacob’s finger curled into a fist. Maybe recounting all the times in his life people dared to defy him and how they severely regretted it. But this was different. She was his _wife._ A moniker that still felt strange on his tongue. He liked it though, it held weight and power. 

“No...No ‘course not. You don’t listen to me. What’s new?” He stretched, a groan pulled from his lips. Then he was standing, chair sliding back, a quick series of movements that her her shaking. “Something wrong?” He knew, he knew why she was scared. Why she wanted to fall apart. He had to. 

“I heard what you and Joseph were talking about, last night--”

“When you were meant to be asleep? Again.” His back was to her now, and it was easier to talk to him like that. When he was stripped of his clothes and bared his scars to her, nothing more than a man. With his eyes not on her, those inquisitive eyes of his always daring her to make a wrong move. 

“He said something about, uh, y’know…” She didn’t dare say it. Didn’t want to risk reminding him. Or making him think that she wanted him to hurry things along. He turned towards her, jeans hanging open with an eyebrow cocked. “Something about, um, consummation. Y’know?” 

Jacob chuckled low under his breath. It was dark and cold, an angry laugh when someone had gone past testing his patience. “That’s what we’re all worked up about, huh?” He walked towards her until he met the bed, propping one knee up on it. Giving her a perfect angle of what lay past his jeans. The light grey of his boxers that showed off his cock, not hard, but huge nonetheless. She titled her head away, not doing a good job at hiding her sneer.

“Oh, c’mon, don’t be like that, Rook. It’s just me and you. No need to be shy.”

Shy? He thought she was, what? Playing hard to get just for kicks? He didn’t know the half of it. The utter revulsion that made her toes curl and bile rise in the back of her throat. The thought of what he could do made fear turn her blood cold. He was stronger and so, so much bigger than her. He could make her do anything. And she’d be powerless to stop it.

Suddenly her cheeks were wet. Her vision nothing but a wet blur that had her shaking worse than before. Rook let out a tiny whine, something she tried to stop by chomping down on her bottom lip. 

“Hey, hey now.” Jacob’s hands were on her. Against the side of her face, sliding down her neck then on her shoulders. Squeezing tight. Her eyes slammed shut, letting out a fresh flow of tears she couldn’t stop. His hands would go lower and lower to places she didn’t want and--

“Rook? Honey, look at me. Rook, please.” 

She wanted to speak, to at least try to beg, but nothing was making it past her lips. She was frozen. Her world dialed down to nothing, just blackness. She could distantly make out the sound of Jacob’s voice, though it sounded wrong. All bubbly like she was underwater. Then she was warm, wrapped up tight in something she couldn’t identify. She struggled all the same.

Legs kicking out against the blankets wearily. Was she lying down? When had that happened? 

“C’mon, Rook. C’mon, just breathe, gonna make yourself sick, honey.” 

She burrowed into the warmth when she realized there was no escape. Her nose nuzzling into the crook of something rough that she barely recognized as his neck. He held her tight, voice strangled when he spoke next. “God what’d you think I was going to do? That’d I--I’d force you? Christ, no. Fucking never, Rook. I would never.” 

She was shaking bad, her entire body trembling against his. Finding some shred of comfort in how his hands stayed unmoving on the middle of her back. Her breathing must have evened out, though she couldn’t say how long it took, because he pried her away from his chest. Seemingly uncaring about the wet patches her tears left on his shirt.

Rook pushed at his chest to get away, sitting with her back pressed against the wall. Eyes wide to watch him. When he did move to sit up, he went slow. Like she was nothing more than a startled animal he didn’t want to run. And all at once she felt shame explode in her chest, making her curl in on herself, drawing her knees up to her chest. 

The ring on her finger suddenly felt heavy and tight, a constant reminder of how he owned her. That this time he let her off easy, but next time--

“Rook.” His hand was on her knee, no pressure behind it. Just a weight that kept her sane for the time being. “I wasn’t going to force you. I didn’t think you thought I could--that...that I would do something like that. You should see the punishment we have for people who do that, just as bad as traitors in our eyes.” A pause, maybe wondering if there was anything else to say, if he could make things better at all. “We’re married now, as much as you resisted that. But that doesn’t mean I own you. Far from it.” 

Her eyes flicked up to meet his, narrowed slightly. Unbelieving. “Feels like you own me. You flaunt it enough.” Because he had, hadn’t he? The moment they got back from the church, filled only with cultists not brazen enough to attack her after what she’s done, he had paraded her around the mountains. Let all of Eli’s cameras see her and the red herald as one. The militia leader didn’t need to know if wasn’t her choice. The war was over either way with her gone.

He made her feel like cattle when they arrived at the Veteran’s Center, not bothering to stop to yell at the people jeering at her, whistling loudly and cheering Jacob on. Like he conquered her.

Her tears were dried now, replaced with a feeling of pure anger. She tried to keep a lid on it, bit down on her tongue when he pulled her against his chest again, letting her lay on top of him. His foot nudged her own when she buried his face in the crook of his neck again.

Rook tensed at the way his beard scratched her skin raw. It was a strange feeling, one she tried to get used to as his lips moved to suck at her skin. Then she felt the hardness between his legs, building up for God only knows how long. Maybe around the time he took off his shirt and saw her looking all submissive in _his_ room, wearing clothes _he_ provided her with.

Now though he was letting it out, holding back for weeks probably, right from the moment he said ‘I do.’ And she had as well, with a gun held by John pushed between her shoulder blades. 

Could she really do this? After all she’s done to take him down? All the time she spent rescuing people far beyond repair. She saw the effect Jacob had on the folks of Hope County, Tammy told her first hand how absolutely perfect their little town had been before the Seeds rolled in. So could she throw away all her morals for him?  
  


“Just breathe, Rook.” He murmured, she must've tensed. Lost in her thoughts.

It was a distraction. Nothing more. She wouldn’t let it get past that point. With that in mind she grabbed hold of Jacob, framed his face with her hands, moving his head up until their lips met. He kissed just as she would’ve imagined. Sloppy and out of practice, he made up for it with his utter enthusiasm. Moaning into her mouth and nipping at her bottom lip with sharp teeth. Pushing his tongue into her mouth eagerly and smiling when she reciprocated. 

His hands stayed a constant force on her hips. Keeping her still on top of him, seated on his waist. When they broke apart, her need for air winning out, she grinded down. A pleasant hum rumbling through his chest. His smile was light and carefree, like he was drunk.

Rook took that as a sign to keep going. She ran blunt nails over his chest, pausing at his chest to tweak a dusty pink nipple. He twisted on the sheets, hands tightening where they rested on her hips. “Fucking hell.” He groped her through her shirt, some weak form of retaliation. “Take this off.” 

She obliged. Not for him, she reminded herself. This was a mutual interaction. She needed the stress release just as much as he did. So with practiced movements she crossed her hands over her torso, grabbing the hem of her shirt to swing it over her head. It landed with a soft _thwump_ somewhere on the floor to be forgotten about until morning. 

“These too.” He tapped at her jeans with his ring finger, the metal band there catching the light and making her chest feel tight. It was hardly an order, she noted that in the back of her mind.

It was awkward, like she was a kid again fooling around in the back of her used car. She squirmed to take off her jeans, hips moving against Jacob’s all the while. He was content to watch her struggle, leaning back with arms behind his head for support. 

She was left bare to him, left only in her panties. She felt the insane urge to cover up, embarrassment tinging her cheeks pink. Like she was scared he wouldn’t approve. He looked at her like she was something more than human though, sliding large, rough hands up the curve of her waist and past the ridges of her ribs until he unclasped her bra with deft hands. 

Her breasts popped free, swaying slightly from the force of him ripping her bra off and tossing it to the side. He was quick to touch her. Twisting her nipples, pinching them between his thumb and index finger. 

“Well…” She shifted, hands on his chest for balance. 

“Well.” He parroted. A flicker of annoyance crossed over her face, one that made him laugh. “Use your words, then, Rook. Tell me what you want.”

“Take your pants off.” It came out as a whisper, something that was close to being lost if he wasn’t listening to her with rapt attention.

“Yes ma’am.” He moved much more gracefully then she managed to. Unbuckling his belt and lifting his hips to shimmy them down. She helped things along, tugged at where they got caught at his ankles. 

When she returned her gaze forward her breath caught. Jacob at least had the decency to not say anything. He kept his mouth shut while she ogled him. Hands yearning to touch, to take, to prove that he didn’t own her. 

But she was smarter than that. Her eyes flicked up to his first.

“Go on.” He urged, hips bucking slightly when she scooted closer. 

She kissed down his chest, stopping at the band of his underwear. With a deep breath she tore his boxers off, letting him kick it onto the floor when her focus was kept on what she just revealed. He was beautifully thick, uncut too. Pubes trimmed down low--which was a surprise in of itself. For a delirious moment fear jabbed low in her gut. _Would it fit?_ She huffed, shaking her head. Of course it would. Maybe what Joseph said at the church was true. Maybe the self sustained prophet was right, this was meant to be.

Jacob didn’t hurry her along. He was honest about that, his morals had a breaking point. They had to start somewhere, and he wouldn’t hurt her. Would never make her do something. So he waited for her to make the first move. And after watching how his cocked bobbed with each breath, laying against his stomach and heavy with blood, she touched him. 

Her fingers started at the base, wrapping around him and moving up ever so slowly. When she reached the tip she squeezed, drawing a moan from his chest. She circled his head once, twice, and slid back down. Kept that slow pace until his chest was heaving and his hips were bucking up into her hand. 

That’s where she stopped. Leaning back further down his thighs with a small smile at his disappointed groan. 

“You’re killing me here, kitten.” 

She laughed at that, moving close to kiss him again. Softly, between heated kisses, she got her words out. “I want you to fuck me.” 

Jacob growled, biting her neck then her shoulder. What happened next happened fast. Quicker than she could process the world was suddenly topsy-turvy and she was on her back looking up at Jacob. 

Her panties came off with such ferocity she yelped in surprise. Legs propped up on his shoulders for a lack of a better place to put them when he moved in closer, shuffling until his cock grazed her inner thigh. Still weeping and begging for attention. 

“Do you want it?”

She nodded wordlessly.

“Tell me.” He said softly, pumping his cock in his hand. “Tell me how much you want it.” 

“Jacob,” she winced when her voice cracked, head tipped back against the pillows stacked high. “Please. Please fuck me, Jacob. I need it. Need you, just—“

He cut her off by plunging into her. Not giving her any time to adjust. Not starting with his fingers or his mouth to get her used to his touch. He went in balls deep, a groan coming from deep within him. 

“There we go, Rook. Always knew you could take it.” 

The first thrust forward made her gasp. The second and she was already melting beneath his touch. Pushing her hips up into his and scrambling to grab hold of him. She managed to scratch at his shoulders, a whine making him pound into her harder. 

Soon the only noise in the room was the obscene sound of skin slapping skin and their breathy moans. 

Without warning his fingers found her clit with such ease she was squirming immediately. Eyes clenched close and a high keening cry that ripped through the air. She pushed into him, let his fingers glide along her nub and leaned down to whisper soft words she could barely hear over the rushing in her ears. 

The change in angle pushed him deeper and drove her right over the edge. She called his name when she came, aware of his stuttered thrusts, as if he could bury himself anymore inside her. 

The ringing in her ears and her closed eyes kept her quiet. Content to lie there and let Jacob fuck her until he finished. Because, once again, this was all this was. A body to fuck. It didn’t need to be intimate. So she stayed silent, didn’t praise him or guide him along to make him finish. 

He came quietly, a rumbling groan pulling her back to her senses. Her eyes blinked rapidly up to him, realizing belatedly that he had came inside her, that the slick feeling rushing out of her thighs when he pulled out should be a cause for panic. 

So why was she so damn calm?

  
Jacob caught her glassy eyed stare and laughed, leaning forward to kiss her lips just as fiercely as he had when they started this mess. “Oh, Rook, you loved it, huh? You can’t deny it anymore. You love _me._ Honey...you’re mine.


	59. Breeding (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook gets drunk and contacts Jacob over the radio; revealing things that she shouldn't to a man like him

“Jacob?”

He wanted so badly to ignore her. It couldn’t be anything good if she was the one starting a conversation. Not when she’s usually so damn intent on ignoring him. But she was like a child, a stubborn, petulant teenager. Don’t pay attention to her and the next thing you know another outpost is gone and dozens of men gets killed. 

So against his better judgement he picked up his radio instead of trying to fall back into a restless, nightmare fueled sleep. 

“Yes, deputy?” It was hardly anything more than an exhalation of air. A not so subtle show of annoyance. 

There was a startled gasp and a hasty shuffle of movement before her lilting voice reached his ears. “Jacob! You—you answered me.” 

“Yeah, I did. It’s not often you speak. I was beginning to think you were mute, pet.”

She laughed, a sound that made his brows furrow. What kind of day did someone need to have in the middle of a war to actually be happy? He was on the winning side, the top dog, and even he wasn’t that excited about the prospect of waking up the next morning. 

“What’d you need?” He finally asked.

“Oh, I...I needed,” she blew out a noisy breath. “I dunno. Someone to talk to. I needed entertainment. And you, Mr. Big Bad Wolf, are very entertaining.” 

“That so?”

“Mhm. Couldn’t stop thinking about you. Actually,” here her words slurred and mixed together, “I was thinking we could make a deal.” 

He pushed the radio close to his ear until the plastic dug into his skin and screwed his eyes shut. Listening. Having the sense to figure out if anyone else was with her. If this was just some ploy to get answers. To make a deal that would lead to his downfall. 

There was the gentle stirring of the wind, her gasping breaths that seemed too uneven, mixed in with the twittering of birds. Nothing...except. There! The slightest of sounds he could barely make out. A tiny whine. No doubt coming from Rook herself. A drawn out whimper that made his heart stutter. Was she hurt? 

“What kind of deal, pet?” 

“More like a game,” she trailed off, and now Jacob could say for sure that she was drunk, hardly injured. The way her thoughts were jumbled and her words didn’t sound like her own. “Jus’ wanna ask some questions.”

“And what do I get out of this? Fuck, if I get to ask my own, then what are you gaining?”

Rook huffed, a snarl making him pull back. “Just let me ask my questions, m’not asking for much.” 

“Easy for you to say,” but if she heard him she ignored it. “Fine, go ‘head. Ask.”

“Okay, okay yeah. Do you...have you ever,” there was muted curse, “I don’t think I’m drunk enough for this yet.” Hundreds of miles away Rook threw back her head and took another swig of her scavenged beer. Moments ago she was more than willing to speak her mind to Jacob, to let him in on all her dirty little secrets. Now she wasn’t too sure. 

“Fine, then I’ll go first.” Jacob wasn’t dense, he heard her whines. The sounds that were far from pain and closer to lust. He was skeptical, curious as to if he was misreading her, but he was _bored._ “The last time you ran my trials, you stopped. Just for a second when you were doing so well, I wanna know why.” 

Oh Rook remembered that clearly. She was in the thick of it, true fear running ice cold through her veins. The last thing she could do was stop, that’d mean failure. Death by whatever way Jacob saw fit to get rid of the weak. 

She was shaking then, most notably her hands, the gun she held felt too heavy. But she kept going. That’s what made her strong at the end of the day. Her brain short circuited at his question, for a second she fell out of her drunken stupor and wanted to yell and show him the wrath that he knew like it was his own. This was her idea though, she knew why she called when she could’ve easily passed out in the abandoned cabin she found herself in. 

She was needy and wanting and so goddamn alone. And drunk. The alcohol really set those feelings free.

It was embarrassment that made her stay quiet for a beat too long. Until finally, after a couple more sips and woozy vision, she spoke. “I rounded a corner and I killed a man. I pulled my knife out and I fucking stabbed him.”

“Right in the throat.” 

She shivered, god the way his whispered it into the receiver had her brain going haywire. It was the same way he had spoke inside that hellish red killzone he forced her into. It made pleasure spike through her head. She told him such without even realizing it. But he laughed, a hearty chuckle that had her legs spread open on their own accord.

“Yeah,” her voice was hoarse. “You sounded proud of me.”

“I was.” He confirmed, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “Didja like it? Did you like when I praised you, honey?”

“Yes. God, yes. I don’t know, it just…” she breathed out, eyes closing to listen to his soft and easy puffs of air that so differed from her own. “I may have...something...of a...kink?” It wasn’t meant to be a question. But her finger had slipped beneath her jeans and past her panties to brush along her clit and her voice rose in a way that made her cheeks turn pink. 

Jacob’s responding laugh did little to ease her embarrassment. 

“Shut up!” She hissed, “it’s my turn.” This was her idea, some stupid ploy to have Jacob talking long enough for her to get off, so why was it so difficult to get the words out past her lips? 

She sighed, finishing off the last of the bottle and cracking open another one. “Do you know what a breeding stand is?” 

“‘Course I do. But you ought to know that, what with the Judges that are all over the mountains.” 

Her mouth went dry at his drawl. More southern than she remembered it being the last they spoke. 

“Shit question,” he finally said, “I bet you’re just shy though. That’s fine. You’ll get another chance. S’my turn now.”

With bated breath she waited. Her index finger swirling around in the slick that coated her walls. 

“You ever _use_ a breeding stand, dep?” 

“Wha—like for dogs?”

“Nuh-uh. You know what I mean, pet. C’mon, you’re the one who brought it up.”

She had. She definitely had. And if she didn’t know him any better she’d say that maybe he didn’t know the purpose of this impromptu, late night call. 

“Never.” She answered gently. 

“You ever wanted to? Maybe one night when you’re alone and wanting someone to take real good care of ya. To show you your place and make you _heel.”_

“Ah fuck.” She shucked off her jeans and panties, pushing a second finger in along with the first. Trying to imagine what it’d be like to be put in a breeding stand, helpless on hands and knees with Jacob’s big frame towering over her. 

Her fingers were too small to make the images in her head come to life. And miles away Jacob’s own hand was too rough to piece together the fantasy in his mind. 

No, he wanted the real thing. And why couldn’t he have it? With a smile that was none too nice, he realized he could. He was bigger and stronger with so much more power than Rook. He was the alpha with hundreds of people ready for his orders. 

With a sigh he switched signals. Hopped between Rook’s—leaving her high and dry—and radioed his best men with strict commands.

She’s not to be harmed. No bliss arrows. Don’t alert her that she’s being hunted. Get her here within the hour. 

Each order was followed just as asked. Jacob ran a critical eye over her passed out form lying in his bed. No damage besides the single arrow that had pierced her thigh. A simple fix, nothing that wouldn’t heal. 

Besides, that’d be the least of her worries when she woke. Speaking of which...he shook her, a hand curled tight around her shoulder. She came back to him slowly, lids twitching but not yet opening. Which didn’t surprise him considering _how_ she was brought to him. 

A single bash to her head with the butt of a gun. It’d take the strongest people out. 

She shifted on the mattress he had her laid on. Lips curling down as her eyes scrunched at the sides. He knew this game. His brothers played it when they were younger. 

“C’mon, Rook, you and I both know you’re awake. Let’s make this easy.”

“Make _what_ easy?” Her words were grumbled our, anger and annoyance glaring. At least she wasn’t drunk anymore. 

He sighed, hands on his hips. A shot of pride rolled through him at the way her eyes took him in. Tracking the length of his body, ogling him. “You know what.” He leaned down until he was hovering over her. Hands on either side of her head. “You started this.”

Without further explanation he hauled her to her feet, using her (probably) concussed state to drag her to the middle of his office without any struggling. It was the most demure he’s seen her in a long while. 

“You gonna strip or am I gonna have to tear your clothes off you?” 

“Oh, screw you. You act like every woman wants to fuck you. I’ve seen the way you walk, with your head held high. You’re just as bad as John.” 

He chuckled. Hands crossed over his chest. “Not every woman. Just you, pet.” He moved fast, to quick for her counter. He put her on her knees in an instant. Directing her gaze to the breeding stand he bought especially for her. 

“Like it? It’s for the wolves but...well I’m sure you’ll fit just fine.” As if to prove his point he forced her forward. Pushing her neck in a loop of metal and slamming it down, making it click shut with a key. Another slice of metal secured her around the waist, and another key snapped into its lock to keep her still. 

On hands and knees she struggled. A snarl on her lips when she glanced over her shoulder to glare at him. 

“Don’t look so angry. You wanted this.” He reminded her. 

“I did not!”

“No? Guess we’re just gonna play dumb then. Unless you don’t remember. Which only goes to prove that some part of you wants this. You just don’t know how to ask nicely.” 

Rook closed her eyes tight. Racking her brain for the conversation they shared only hours prior. Bits and pieces came to her. Most notably the fact that she was so fucking horny and for some reason Jacob was the one she reached out to. 

In the silence that followed Jacob got to work. His hands were deft, removing her jeans like they had done this dance hundreds of times before. They were left bunched up at her knees along with her panties. 

The cool air that hit her made her squirm. She’s never felt so exposed, left bare for someone just to stare. She wasn’t that naive though, he hadn’t gone through the trouble to bring her here just to look. 

No, tonight she was a plaything. A toy for him to use. And that thought made heat spike low in her gut. 

“Well get on with it then.” Rook snapped, wiggling her hips in the hopes that would entice him. He just chuckled that low, husky chuckle that she knew all too well. 

“I am, I am. Christ, so impatient.” 

He kissed her thigh slowly. Not yet touching her where she desired. Moving around her cunt, fanning hot breath over her mound. 

“Think you’ll be able to take me like this? No prep?” 

He didn’t wait for a response, and she didn’t think she’d be able to give him one; because in the next moment his tongue delved between her folds. Toying with her nub and moving around inside her. Making the most obscene noises of pleasure. 

“I think so,” he answered for her. Before she could protest she heard the clanking of his belt buckle hitting the floor, getting her ready for what he was dishing out. 

Her whole body tensed, afraid when she couldn’t turn her head and see what he was doing. It was such a primal position, him large and intimidating kneeling behind her only to pound into her cunt. 

But by God if she wasn’t ready. 

His hand brushed along her flank, like she was really some kind of prized animal. It made her sigh all the same. “Act like you don’t like this, but I’m going to have you screaming.” He inched forward, the head of his cock a frightening pressure. “ _Dripping_ for me.” He pushed in, almost down to the base. Her tightness stopped him. 

He steadied himself with hands bracketing her hips. He held onto her, blunt, dirty nails creating tiny crescents. And he was right on one front, she was screaming. Yelping at each thrust forced him deeper and rocked her against metal that grated into her bare hips. 

She snarled out an angry “gentle,” and all she got in return was a snort. If anything he doubled his efforts. Slammed into her again and again until her mind went blank and she never wanted him to stop.

Her approach came fast and hard, coaxed out from Jacob’s fingers. Brushing over her clit in a way that was far more satisfying than her own. She shook in the breeding stand, arching her back as much as she was allowed. Shaking from the sensitivity when he chased his end. 

He came with a muted growl, leaning over her to wrangle her hair in his fist. He yanked her head back, grunting as the last few waves of his release washed over him. 

She felt his cum run down her thighs when he pulled out. All at once she realized that he hadn’t used a condom. That she hadn’t even _asked._ It made her feel sick, should she have enjoyed that? More importantly, should she be as calm as she was? What really made her blood run cold was how he looked at her, striding in front of her and crouching down on his heels. 

“Look at you, honey. So fucking gorgeous like this. Just like a bitch in heat,” he barked a laugh, leaning in to rest their foreheads together. She didn’t flinch away, she found she wanted to be closer. She wanted to be his bitch.

“You’re going to make a perfect mama, huh, Rook? Just wait until I get you bred,” he whistled lowly and drew her in for a kiss that sealed her fate for good.


	60. Coming Together (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob/Staci/Rook
> 
> They get stuck in a bunker together and enemies to lovers slowly develops

Jacob bit at the corner of his thumb, brows pulled low in concentration as he sank his teeth into a loose flap of skin and _ tugged.  _ To an outsider, someone who didn’t know what lay beneath the surface, Jacob might’ve looked preoccupied. Bored out of his mind even. Sitting staring at the walls to waste away the time for lack of better things to do. 

But Jacob was watching. Stalking. Eyes tracking Staci’s every move. In tune with the sounds around them, most notably though he was listening for the trickling water from the shower to stop. For Rook to appear around the corner and call him out.

She was always more perceptive to what he was up to.

Staci...not so much. Or maybe he knew, perhaps he liked Jacob’s attention and was afraid it would all end if he looked Jacob in the eyes and actually did something for once. 

With a jerk of his head Jacob yanked the loose skin free, spitting it out and dropping his hands in his lap. The noise—though subtle—attracted Staci’s gaze, made him glance over his shoulder from his place at the makeshift stove. His focus remained low on Jacob’s hands, unwilling to find the blues of his eyes. Jacob saw him swallow from across the room. 

Looking like nothing more than a nervous puppy. 

It was cute. Had Jacob shifting where he sat. Pushing down on his dick in an action that was none too subtle. He traced the curve of Staci’s ass when he turned to focus again on the food he was trying to put together. How the borrowed jeans he wore clung to him well. He was thin—they all were now—but the muscles he had from fighting the war above ground hadn’t gone away. 

“Almost done?”

Staci jolted at the sound of Jacob’s voice. Silverware clattering in his grasp. He hummed an affirmative instead of answering. Not what Jacob wanted to hear. Then again, Staci hardly gave Jacob what he wanted. No, he liked the chase. He wanted Jacob to order him around, maybe Staci knew that him being so docile went straight to Jacob’s dick.

It went well with the sharp tongue Rook had. 

“Jacob…” speak of the devil. He winced, shoulders trying not to tense up around his neck as he tore his eyes away from Staci and onto where Rook now stood. 

She had her brows raised, a hand on her hip with pursed lips. She knew what he was doing. What he had been doing since they got down here. He shrugged innocently. Looking bored once more. 

Rook sauntered over, flickering her gaze around like she thought she might find incriminating evidence. 

“Tell your boyfriend to hurry up before we starve.” Jacob grumbled as she collapsed down next to him on the worn couch. Changing the subject, acting like he hadn’t been close to finally pursuing his thoughts and to see how well Staci really performed in bed. 

“I’m not—“

“Yes you are, peaches. Quiet. Grown ups are talking.”

Next to him, Jacob heard the snort Rook tried to cover up. Along with the way she smiled—something they rarely did. She slapped him on the chest a moment later, must have seen how pink Staci’s cheek had gone. 

He grabbed her wrists easily in one big hand. Clenched them tightly and pulled her closer until she almost fell into his lap. It was an easy routine. Something that came naturally. She liked to play as much as he did. 

Jacob kept glancing at Staci. Noticing how antsy he was getting. Angry, too. 

“No? You two aren’t dating? Guess that means I’m in.”

“You think she’s interested in  _ you?”  _ Staci sneered. Hands suddenly stilling, leaving their dinner unattended. 

Rook went stiff at Staci’s words. Praying and hoping Jacob wouldn’t fight back. She hardly needed to be the one to tend to Staci’s wounds tonight. 

Jacob just laughed though. “Think she’d rather a man who knew what he was doing rather than someone who’s just all talk.” Jacob gave a low chuckle, making heat pool in her stomach. “I’ve heard you two talking at night. These walls are mighty thin. You haven’t done a thing, peaches. Not man enough to make a move and prove yourself.” 

With a snarl Staci flicked off the stove and stomped over. Stopping in front of Jacob, knocking their knees together like that was challenge enough. He stood there for a few moments, just breathing, unsure of his next move.

“All talk.” Jacob sang, pushing him just a little bit further. 

“I can run laps around you. You’re pushing 50. Do you really think you can keep any woman, let alone Rook, satisfied?”

Jacob rolled his shoulders back, glancing her way with a faux pout before he stood. Bumping chests with Staci. Towering over him with ease. Rook couldn’t help but feel an inkling of pride when Staci didn’t back down. Chin raised to meet Jacob’s eyes like he could ever win such a fight. 

Eventually it was Jacob who broke their spell of intimidation. Reached a hand out to grab onto Staci’s chin, pulling him closer. “Go on then. Show me how well you can do. How no one can compare to a man like you. She is, after all, right there.” Jacob tipped his head to where Rook sat. A smile curled his lips. 

Rook sputtered, a laugh breaking free at the sheer look of anger on Staci’s face. “You’re both idiots,” she mumbled with a shake of her head. 

“Ooh, are you gonna take that, peaches?”

Rook froze. Egging a man who was already so damn tense with anger was bound to go poorly. “Jacob…” 

“Well?” He asked, grabbing hold of Staci’s shoulder and jostling him. 

“You wanna see a man? Fine.” Staci’s words were snarled out. A tiny growl that had her shifting, clenching her thighs together in vain. Which might’ve been the reason why she didn’t resist when Staci grabbed hold of her hand and yanked her up to follow him. 

He led her to the tiny bedroom they had no choice but to share, making a bee-line for the largest mattress they had to offer. 

Staci was anxious, she could tell. Though that might’ve been the extra pair of eyes lingering on them. Jacob was the opposite. Loose and confident in all his movements. He stripped down to nothing in an instant, leaving Rook’s mouth dry. And she didn’t bother averting her gaze when he looked at her head on. Lips twitching with pride. It made her heart shudder before she felt a burst of heat on her throat. 

Staci had leaned in close to kiss her neck, humming softly to steal her attention away from Jacob’s body. The sculpted muscles that, when she looked closer, could tell were being lost to age.

“C’mon. Bed.” Staci’s tone was clipped and commanding. Making her knees weak. She followed suit anyway, her gut churning with excitement. He didn’t exactly toss her, he wasn’t big enough for that, but the shove he gave to her shoulders was a clue in itself. 

Then he was on her. The stubble he hadn’t bothered to shave scratching at her skin in a delicious way. Goosebumps raised on her skin as he crawled up her body, hands straying low to grope at the meat of her thighs and brush tantalizingly over the front of her jeans. 

He was moving quick, all the pent up anger from Jacob’s taunting being released through her. His hands shook, fumbling to shimmy down her pants and tear off her blouse in a reckless teenager kind of way that made her laugh breathlessly. Her hands braced on his shoulders when he finally (fucking finally) managed to slip her shirt off. Rook clung to Staci, let him crowd in close until she could wrap her legs around his middle. It was like that when she saw Jacob. Standing at the edge of the bed with the patience of a saint. 

Though the picture he made was anything but holy.

He was naked (when had that happened?) and he held his cock in his hand with a grasp that was anything but gentle. Though his strokes were slow. Or trying to be. His knuckles were white, little sighs escaping his lips. Eyes flickering everywhere. Unable to stay focused on one thing. His bottom lip was pulled taut between sharp canines. If she were any closer she’d be able to see the way his pupils were blown wide with lust. 

“Stace, wait, wait,” Rook scrambled to say between gasps. He pulled back immediately, eyebrows pulled down low with a look of concern splashed over his face. All that bravado from moments before gone in an instant. He was a good man, he really was. But it didn’t feel right, no matter how grateful she was that he was the one in bed with her. Something was missing.

“Jacob. Please, c’mere. The promise was both of you.” 

Jacob took her words in stride. A smile curled his lips into a half smile as he made the bed dip with his weight. Coming to rest comfortably behind her. His presence was enough to make her tremble even when he had yet to touch her. 

“Yeah, figures you’d need someone else.” He snorted when he gave her a once over. “To at least get you the rest of the way undressed.”

Staci didn’t seem to mind their guest. He heard Jacob though, if the way he continued to explore her was any indication. His kisses now left marks, grazing along every inch of skin he exposed. Until she was lying fully naked and breathless. 

Rook tipped her head back, a reminder that Jacob was still with them when her skull thumped into his chest. Warm and inviting. 

“Got cold feet, Seed?” 

“Just seeing what you can do, peaches.” Jacob rumbled out, his words sending vibrations through her head. “C’mon, get a move on.” She could hear the smile in his voice, and she would’ve been quick to laugh if he hadn’t nipped at her neck a second later. Putting marks on her to match the ones Staci made. 

It was hard to keep track of their bodies. Where hers ended and where others began when all she could focus on was the press of warm skin on hers. 

It helped that Jacob’s beard scratched everywhere he went and that Staci’s fingers were slimmer than Jacob’s yet larger than her own. It kept her head somewhat straight. 

“So damn pretty, Rook, look at you.” Staci marveled at one point. Glancing up from where he sat between her thighs to beam up at her. 

Jacob hummed his agreement. And when she glanced over at him, fighting for space at her side—jamming three, thick fingers in her cunt as Staci worked—she saw the fatigue there. Tired energy mixed with frustration. 

And she knew why. Both of them were still hard. Waiting their turns. Something she doubted Jacob was used to. 

Staci was working that out on his own, rutting into the sheets below him as he went back to eating her out. Circling around her clit with the tip of his tongue. She didn’t have the view she wanted, but she figured that his teeth wandered too close to Jacob’s fingers occasionally based on the snappy words they shared.

She came twice that way, on her way to her third orgasm when she pushed the two of them away. Entirely spent and afraid that she wouldn’t be able to help either of them finish with how sensitive she was. That wouldn’t stop them, she knew that, in some deep part of her mind. They’d be content to use her like nothing more than a toy just to chase their end. 

Her legs kicked out instinctively when Jacob crooked his fingers inside her once more before yanking out. 

“What’s wrong?” Jacob panted, halfway slumped over, sweat dotting his brow. His eyes flicked to Staci momentarily, she saw surprise there, maybe envy—though that could’ve been respect—at how long he lasted. That he was able to make her body sing. 

“Did we tire you out?” It was a joke, she saw that in the way Staci laughed. Crawling up the bed to hold onto her. 

“Nah, just figured, well,” her eyes dipped, down to Jacob’s cock. Still standing firm, leaking at the tip. “You both did good, need to pay that forward.” She reached down to brush her fingers over Staci’s erection. Relishing in how he whined. His whole body shuddering at the attention. 

Rook met Jacob’s hungry stare head on—“Get on your back.” There was a beat of silence, even Staci shuffled away to eye the soldier wearily.

In an instant he snarled at her. Fists clenching on his thighs. “Fucking watch yourself, Rook.” 

She sighed, tried to hide her disappointment. Instead she moved close to him and pushed him back herself. If he really didn’t want her on top he’d toss her off himself. 

He went somewhat willingly. Though he stayed propped up on his elbows to watch her. He was tense all over, the muscles in his thighs clenched as he watched her position her entrance over his cock. 

She guided it in painstakingly slow. Watching him with rapt attention. Finding pleasure in how his jaw went slack and his finally relaxed under her. Let her take control and drive him closer to the edge. 

It didn’t take long, in an embarrassingly short amount of time he was shooting inside her. Bucking his hips and snarling like a beast. Hands grabbing at her hips to yank her down on his cock. 

Somewhere behind her she heard Staci huff. He shuffled closer and drew her in for a kiss, one hand planted on Jacob’s thigh, clawing at him when he finished in his own hand. 

He was louder than Jacob, a moan splitting through the air and making her hum into his mouth when she kissed him again. 

Which made her all the more aware of the man beneath her. His softening cock still inside her cunt. Her hands slid up his chest, catching on his nipples and making his breath hitch. “Still with us, old man?” She teased, flashing Staci a smile that he barely reciprocated. Already rolling over to sleep. 

“Old?” He parroted. He pulled her down, forcing her to lay flat on his chest, without warning his hand came up and then smashed down on her ass. Making a resounding noise as she squirmed. “I think I did you good. Had you screaming for me, honey.”

Softly, she whispered to him, even if Staci was already far gone. “Yeah? Think you taught Stace a thing or two?”

He shrugged as much as he could while lying down. “Nah, kid was more focused on outshining me. But now that he’s asleep…” he pulled out of her lighting fast, flipping her over so he could loom over top of her. 

Her eyes went wide with shock, hands splayed on his chest. “Jacob, you can’t be serious.” But his body didn’t lie. And one quick glance between his legs said it all. 

“I’m not sure I could handle another round.” She admitted sheepishly.

“To fucking bad. After all, who were you just calling old? 


	61. Worthy Opponent (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob and Rook fight and she manages to throw him on the ground, which just so happens to turn him on

Rook felt like her damn head was going to explode. Although if she made it out of this alive with enough time for the adrenaline to wear off then there’d be a lot more to worry about. 

Already she could see the bruises forming on her body, scattered on her thighs and biceps. Mingled in with the knicks that dripped a steady flow of blood from Jacob’s knife when he managed to get too close. 

“C’mon, Rook, you gotta be tired. Just dying to stop.” He was half crouched over, bent at the waist like a boxer, looking to grab her around the waist and take her to the floor. 

She was far from stupid, she knew exactly what would happen if he took her down. That would be the end of this fight. He would kick at her until she was nothing more than a bloody mess, or better yet, he’d climb on top of her with nothing but pure strength and choke the life out of her. That seemed more his style. So she stayed away. Circled around and around, unwilling to give him the opportunity. 

Rook could play his games, she could use his talents against him. Use his  _ weight  _ against him if he wasn’t paying enough attention. Too focused on how out of breath she was. Looking like she’d keel over soon. 

“Bite me.” She snapped back, bearing teeth in a snarl. 

He huffed in amusement, eyes dropping to the forest floor for half a second. That was all she needed. Rook launched herself at him, closing the gap with wide running steps before flying through the air. She caught him lower around his torso then she intended, snagging him around his thighs. It worked in her favor better than she could’ve imagined. Her arms wrapped tight around the bends of his knees, knocking him off balance and not giving him a chance to recover. 

He let out a quiet  _ oof  _ at the impact, accepting her weight, but not expecting her to roll off him so quick. 

In the back of her mind she was scrambling, thoughts racing. Still painfully aware that she needed to get on her feet  _ now.  _ He was far from dazed, he just knew that she was far out of his grasp. So he let her rise, unable to believe she had it in her to do any real damage. 

But Rook was hardly the type to go down without a fight, so she didn’t think twice about charging him again. She grabbed his arm from where it rested lazily on his chest and twisted it round, held it close to her chest and bent it at an awkward angle. Her foot pressed down on his sternum, digging into skin until he made a noise of pain low in his throat. 

“Checkmate bastard.” Her hair was hanging in her face, clinging to sweaty skin while she struggled for breath. Trying to wrap her head around the fact that she did this. She reduced Jacob Seed to nothing more than prey under her feet. 

A hysterical laugh bubbled up from her throat. Half disbelief and half pride wrestling inside her. 

“Nice work, dep. Look at you,” he cooed gently, “so damn strong. I knew I wasn’t wasting my time on you.” He laughed, and with it came a spray of blood.

Her brow dipped. She hadn’t meant to kill him. She spared John and Faith—her track record was clean—she didn’t need this. 

She knelt down, pressing his arm into the dirt with her knee on his chest. Like that would keep him in place if he decided to fight back. 

“Are you okay?” She finally managed.

“Fine. Gonna take a lot more than that to get rid of me.” His hand, the one she didn’t bother grabbing hold of, found her hips and squeezed. “Mind, uh, getting off maybe?”

Her eyes widened, did he really think she’d just let him go? She had been dreaming of the day she could humiliate him like he had to her. “Fuck you.” She moved to straddle him, shoving his arms down by his sides so they were trapped by her thighs. 

“No, really, dep, if you don’t get off—“

“You’ll what? Scream? You’re beat, Jacob. Face it.” 

A frustrated snarl tore its way past his lips. “You’re not as smart as I thought you were.”

Rook sighed, he was beginning to sound like John, with all his petty taunts meant to hurt. Already she was reaching for her radio. She’d need a whole caravan to transport his ass. 

She didn’t bother dropping her voice when she called Eli. She stared Jacob dead in the eyes to let him know that he was done for. He sat through the droning tone of his enemy. Fists clenched into her jeans, squirming under her like he was uncomfortable. 

When the radio clicked off she tsked lightly at him. “Neither are you. ‘Cause we both know you could’ve run by now. And yet you’d rather wait till backup arrives.”

“I...can’t.” 

Was he hurt? Her eyes jumped over his face and down his chest. Panic holding her heart. She hadn’t meant to kill him, and she was the furthest thing from a medic. She knew she wouldn’t be able to fix him up. And her friends hardly had a reason to hurry, they preferred him dead and six feet under. 

She shifted down his torso, eyes tracking lower as she felt with probing fingers for blood. It was only when she sat directly on top of his pelvis that she realized what was wrong.

He was hard. Straining to get out of his jeans. 

The idiot couldn’t run because he popped a boner like a teenage boy. It’d be funny if she wasn’t the only one around for miles. And no doubt the one who caused it.

“Fighting do it for you, Jacob?”

For his credit he didn’t look embarrassed. She bet that he got plenty of men and women on a daily who stroked his ego. Whether they just liked the uniform or the authority he now had, she doubted his dick was ever dry. 

“Huh?” She pushed, taking this moment of distraction to take a breath. At the same time rocking her hips back. “What is it?”

“You’re strong,” he finally mumbled. “God you should’ve seen yourself. Like a fucking warrior, taking me to the ground the way you did.”

There was a dreamy look in his eyes. Like he had gotten too close to the bliss. She knew better though, the hardness tucked close to her thigh told her enough. 

“Ah,” she tried to ease back. To get out of the situation she was in. It’s not that she didn’t want to, dear god she imagined rolling around in the sheets with him more times than she could count. But even she knew she was playing with fire. 

“Don’t,” he grabbed her hips to stop her. Keeping her locked above his dick. With a gentleness she didn’t know he was capable of he rolled his hips up into hers. Making sure she felt every inch past his jeans. 

In the next moment he had tossed her off. Practically threw her back, making her land on her ass with a force that had her gasping from the sudden pain. Rook didn’t let that faze her, she was already scrambling to get up, moving on hands and knees to crawl. To grab for the nearest weapon, because during some part of their fight her knives and guns had been tossed to the side. 

He was on her instantly. Pinning her to the ground with his weight. One large paw closed around the nape of her neck and shook her like she was some kind of dog. Every time she tried to get up—to put her legs under her again and just  _ run _ —he’d knock at her knees and send her flat on her stomach. 

Rook cursed at him, snarled and bared her teeth when all he did was keep her in place with a hand on her neck and a knee in the middle of her back. 

“Christ, woman.” She swore she heard him laugh. A small chuckle that had her squirming for a whole other reason. “C’mon, deputy. Show me that fight.” His nails dug into the skin on her neck, threatening to cut off her airway. 

When she didn’t struggle like he wanted, he huffed. His free hand trailing along her body. Brushing over her ribs and her thighs. Coming to gently rest on the curve of her ass.

“So damn  _ strong,”  _ he whistled softly, moving back up to her thigh to squeeze the muscles. To feel them twitch with uncertainty under his grasp. 

The pressure on her back increased, his knee digging in more as he leaned over her until he came into focus on the edges of her vision. Peering over her with a smile. 

In a split second she could see the damage she’d done. The sweat dripping off him and the blood flecked in his teeth from a punch she didn’t think did do her any good. 

Rook wished he was directly in front of her, she’d bite the crap out of him. Sink her teeth in and leave her own mark. 

He huddled in close to her, swung a leg over her body so he could straddle her. His cock was still hard, brushing against her ass cheeks when he grinded down. Her legs kicked at the dirt below them, which was enough for him to finally lose his cool. “Fucking stop!” He snapped, grabbing her shoulders and lifting her inches off the ground, forcing her chest to puff out before he slammed her back down. Stealing the air from her lungs. 

“Stop. Just stop.” Jacob appeared just as haggard as she was. Breathing heavy and putting his full weight on her. “Shut the fuck up for once and just let me show you—“

“Show me what? How fucking ruthless you are? That you’re so much stronger than me?”

“No, sweetheart. That you’re strong enough to be with me.” 

Jacob was quiet when he pulled her pants down, leaving them to get stuck at her thighs. Letting out a shaky sigh at the sight. She knew what he was seeing, that he was marveling at the panties she chose that day. That if he dared to flip her over that he’d see how sheer the fabric covering her sex was. 

He stroked her flesh, scooting down her thighs to grab her ass and tug at her panties. Teasing the idea of stripping her. From her position on the ground she couldn’t see what he was doing, but she could damn well hear him. The tell tale sound of a zip going down that made her tense.

“Shh, stay still.” Jacob eased his cock out, tossing a quick glance around the woods they were in. It was just them and the woodland creatures. That alone spurred him forward, boosted his confidence enough to keep going. To wrap a hand around his cock to stroke himself until his dick stood at attention. 

He only hesitated for half a second before he climbed up her body, thighs bracketing her ribs. He watched her squirm before he flipped her over, hands coming to rest below her breasts. His eyes roamed, tracing the scars and bruises she’s acquired since her stay in Hope County. To Jacob it just made her all the more alluring, it showed how strong she was.

They were too clothed for this. Rook realized that all at once when she knew that this was no longer about killing her. That something else had taken hold of him and she’d be stupid to not play along. Not when his body was lean and he was oh so handsome. Their eyes locked, and she swore she saw the corners of his lips tipped up. 

But then he was back to being mean. Suddenly he was tearing at her shirt. Ripping it with ease to reveal the too small bra she wore that couldn’t contain her breasts. Reminding her of a shitty porn she’d watch a couple dozen times back home. The kind that always left her wondering where on earth she could find someone strong enough to pin her down and tear her clothes right off her body with nothing but his hands.

Jacob wasted no time grabbing her tits. Squeezing them tight with a hum that was so unlike him that it made her cunt twitch. With a snarl he shoved her bra up; up until it breezed past her arms and was thrown somewhere deep in the brush that she’d have to hunt for later.

He leaned in close to her, forearms coming to rest beside her head in the dirt. His hot breath fanned against her face before he gave her another smile and dropped his attention to her chest. The second his tongue laved across her nipple she reached down to grab his hair. Twisting what little rested on top of his head in her hand. He gave the same treatment to her other nipple, pulling back to watch them harden under his attention.

“Never pegged you for the kind of guy to draw things out.”

“Just getting started, honey.” He laughed, straightening to grab his cock and pump it. Hissing out between his teeth. “Just sit there and look pretty.” 

Rook’s brow furrowed, every part of her wanted to knock him over onto his back and take him. Finally push him around for once, she had almost no intention of listening to his orders. She opened her mouth to respond, to fight like he seemed to adore, but then he grabbed at her breasts and shoved his cock between her flesh like a man starved. 

The groan that came out of him barely sounded human. More like a beast. “Fuckin’ hell, Rook.” His head dropped forward as he rutted into her, his bangs hanging in sweaty streaks in front of his face. 

She craned her neck off the ground, eager to taste him. To experience him in ways she knew she shouldn’t. She threw caution to the wind and stuck out her tongue, eyes catching his, trying to convey what she most wanted.

He understood immediately. With a groan he let his cock head brush against her tongue, smearing across her cheek when he thrusted again. She hardly minded.

“Jacob, I want more,” she begged, head falling back harshly. 

“Yeah I bet you do.” He was breathless, nearing his end, rutting into her like a dog. “Don’t worry, you’ll get what’s coming to you. I’ll take you with me, have you begging and squealing for me.” His thrusts faltered when he came, his seed coating her chest and face. He made a mess out of her and she couldn’t help but want more. 

In the silence that followed panic set in. Fear that his sudden hard on, that whatever this was, ended, that he’d kill her for real now. She could spot his knife lying feet away. He was faster than she was, he’d get there in an instant and she’d be dead.

“You okay down there?” He was already tucking himself back in, a dreamy smile on his lips. “Thinking ‘bout tonight?”

Her brow furrowed, “tonight?”

He laughed, grabbing her shoulders painfully tight until her bones creaked. “You think I was joking? Oh honey, you’re coming home with me.” 


	62. “Fuck, that was hot.” (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the first time Rook is capture by Jacob during his presentation, Jacob pulls her chair closer to him and she makes the mistake of saying “Fuck that was hot"

She had once asked Jess what she thought would really make Jacob angry. Not the kind of dull annoyance he gets when she blows up another wolf beacon or tore down a radio tower in the name of the resistance; but well and truly angry.

Apparently one too many lost outposts would do a man in. 

Rook should’ve stayed at the Fang Center longer. She shouldn’t have rushed off the moment the militia filled the sprawling grounds and came in with a fleet of people ready to clean the blood off the walls and haul boxes around, intent on taking back what was theirs. 

Jacob must have eyes all around these mountains, he certainly had the time, of course he’d act once she was too far away from any outpost to seek refuge. 

“There is someone out there...pretending to be a soldier. They are killing our brothers and sisters, and putting this Project in jeopardy. I want this coward to know that they have my attention...my hunters are coming for you. There’s nowhere you can run.” 

It was the first time she heard the man speak outside of his broadcasts scattered throughout the county, playing and replaying on loudspeakers in his outposts. And she hated how her gut clenched at the low timbre of his voice, the way he growled out words meant specifically for her instead of the general messages revolving around survival of the fittest that she’s heard a thousand times before. She could picture how he looked as he murmured those threats across the radio. How he’d be much more contained than his baby brother but  _ so _ much more dangerous than Joseph. 

The thought made her mind twinge with excitement. He was a different breed. A calculated master at his craft. She had her share of sleepless nights wondering how she’d greet him. What she’d say to make him realize that she was prepared to take him on. That she was as different as he was. But then she was out cold before she had time to process her onslaught of emotions. An arrow to her thigh—a perfect shot—then again, Jacob wouldn’t accept anything less. 

Everything was hazy from the moment she came to. The world tilted and spun when she managed to crack open an eye. She saw her feet below her, struggling to get under her before she fell. Rook tried to take in all the details she could. Starting with the blood red carpet underneath her feet and the old, splintered wood that surrounded them. She passed out again before she could stop it. 

Pratt’s face was the first thing she saw when she woke again. Hunched over with a pinched expression. Tugging at something around her wrists.

_ Metal fucking bands. _

Staci was bloodied beyond belief. Confirming all those rumors she’s heard about the kind of man Jacob was to be true. She spotted a dark bruise across his eye and a cut on his lip that she bet made talking painful. He was hanging on though. Strong despite what Jacob must’ve told him. 

“You shouldn’t have come for me. You should have run,” Staci hissed out, right before his eyes drifted up over her shoulder and a sheer look of terror replaced his somber expression. 

Rook was helpless but to watch her former coworker scamper off to somewhere she couldn’t see. Jacob’s words distracted her well enough from the immediate guilt that rose in her throat. His footsteps were loud in the tiny room, drawing her attention away from the person she was meant to save and towards the one she was expected to kill.

“The world is weak. Soft. We have forgotten what it is to be strong.” Rook just now noticed the projector to her left. Would have never given it any thought if the wall in front of her hadn’t lit up with a close up of a wolf. Revealing what the purpose for this meeting. Why Jacob was so eager to get his hands on her. For a goddamn presentation.

Her eyes bore into his back as he made his way forward, not sparing her a glance. Tracking his even, confident steps and the blade strapped to his thigh. She found herself watching how he gestured with his arms. Spreading them wide, as he spoke next.

“You know our heroes used to be gods.” He turned now, a smug look on his face. Her eyes begrudgingly jumped away from Jacob and towards Pratt. He rushed into place beside Jacob, as if he had been through this exact show so many times before. Head bowed with hands clasped. He was a perfect picture of obedience. It made her feel sick.

With a swallow she glanced back at Jacob, anger in her gaze when she narrowed her eyes. “And now our heroes are godless. Weak, feeble, diseased. We let the weak dictate to the powerful and then we are shocked to find ourselves adrift.”

_ Now  _ she got a good look at him. All broad shoulders and scarred features that would make a lesser man tremble. Not her, she refused. She told herself that she’d stay strong when he looked at her properly. But he hadn’t, not yet, it was almost as if he was purposely avoiding her gaze. Focusing on the other two people in the room as if she was just another nobody.

It did the trick. Got her riled up real fast.

“But history knows the value of sacrifice. Of culling the herd, so that it stays strong. Over and over, the lives of the many outweighed the lives of the few.” Jacob stepped forward once again, approaching them all. Moving past the glow of the projection, and with that in mind she tried to make out his face. Wanting to see him, really see him. To figure out his inner thoughts. To poke and prod around in that mind of his. “This is how we survived.” He turned on his heel, away from the man whose face she could see was a mask of terror, and towards the captive on her right. “And we’ve forgotten…”

She breathed in deep, just knowing her time was up. That she was next. Now was her chance to finally look at him like she wanted, to maybe convey that she wasn’t scared. But she was shaking, her hands instinctively pulled against the metal restraints locking her into place.

He was on her too quick. 

“And now the bill has come due.”  _ Fuckfuckfuck.  _ He was there all right, boots knocking into hers with how close he was. Before she could calm her heart at how vulnerable she was, he was suddenly bent over. Blotting out her view of the rest of the room. Traping her with his thick arms bracketing her in. Hands gripping her chair. The light from the projector shone on him, the picture he chose was bright enough to not shadow him in darkness. One side of his face was entirely bright. Showing himself off to her. 

Addie might kill her for saying this, but she was sure Jacob was the most handsome brother out of the Seeds. He was rugged and big and if they were fighting on the same side of this war they’d fuck. She knew they would.

“Now, the Collapse is upon us,” with a sudden jerk he yanked her chair closer to him. Right between his legs. It made her jump, suddenly being inches from his face. Able to count the colors in his eyes.

She recognized the spike of heat low in her belly and squirmed at the intensity of the feeling. “Fuck, that was hot.”

Jacob stopped. Words dying in his throat. Whatever he had to say forgotten about as he process what she had just said. Probably wondering if this was some ploy. A way to delay the inevitable. 

“‘Scuse you, deputy? Run that by me again.”

Rook sucked on her teeth. Cringing. She hadn’t thought that one through, not at all. Out of all her bad decisions this one topped the cake. What had she been thinking? Her eyes fluttered shut, unable to take the intensity of his stare.  _ She hadn’t.  _

“Ah, no. No, I’ll shut up. It just slipped. I--” she bit her lip. Because all that was coming to mind was excuses. She was running on such little sleep and not enough food, of course she would just blurt out her words, filter be damned.

“Yeah, I bet it did.” Jacob rose, tossing a glance over his shoulder before resettling beautiful blue eyes back on her. He had a strange, secretive smile playing on his lips that she couldn’t understand.

That was until his hand came gently to rest on the curve of her breast. Eyeing her like a tasty meal. “I think I found a purpose for you yet. Isn’t that right, deputy Pratt?”

With Jacob standing and not distracting her with his closeness, ruining all her senses, she could see Pratt’s reaction to Jacob’s question. A rhetorical question if she’s ever heard one. Pratt answered anyhow, probably used to this game Jacob liked to play. 

“Yes, sir. Of course.” 

She saw the fear in Staci’s eyes when they locked gazes. He tilted his head at her, face wrinkling in concern. Concern for her. No one wanted to be singled out by Jacob. 

Her and her stupid mouth.

Rook wasn’t sure what Jacob was going to do to the other people trapped and bound in chairs in the same room as her. But the thought had her close to tears, these were the people she was meant to protect. Her anxiety must've shown on her face because Jacob barked a laugh as he undid the metal cuffs around her wrists and ankles.

“Don’t worry yourself about them. They’ll run through their trials like they’re meant to.”

She didn't ask what that meant. Didn't really have to at this point. She heard enough about him in her time stirring shit up. She knew what was going to happen next. That he’d warp her mind beyond her control until she was a danger to everyone around her. Jacob would destroy the whole of the resistance by ostracizing her, and yet here he was now, pulling her out of her chair and supporting her weight when her legs inevitably gave out on her. 

“C’mon, honey, let's get you somewhere safe.” 

His idea of safe was different than hers apparently. Though that was a given, Jacob was practically at home here, surrounded by soldiers who turned and stared as he walked by. She was in the center of St. Francis’, and she was terrified.

“Awful quiet there. Got something on your mind? Maybe something more you wanna say to me?” He was smiling, a grin twisting his features. She didn't want to respond, content to turn her head away from his. Fingers drumming a steady beat on the desk separating them. Shifting in the wooden chair across from his own. For a second her eyes fell to the corkboard screwed on his wall with notes she couldn't make out.

There was a sparkle in his eyes when she tilted her head in his direction and bared her teeth at him.

“Shut up.”

“No, no, by all means, tell me more about how fucking hot I am.” His following laugh did her in. Had anger bubbling up in her stomach. She didn’t think what she did next, seeing red as it was. She launched herself at him. Scrambling out of the chair he set her in to get at his throat. 

He didn’t need to be fast, he saw her coming. Had been watching her muscles tense to get ready to attack. 

Jacob knocked her down, pinned her against the desk she tried to vault just to get to him. 

“Now that wasn’t very nice, was it?” Her legs wrapped instinctively around his hips when he huddled in close just to press a hand over her windpipe. “Come on, I’m sure you know how to be a little sweet. Put those fangs away for me, honey.” 

Jacob wasn’t a man for subtly, and he didn't hesitate at all. All too soon he was grinding his hips against hers. It was hardly enough, couldn’t be when they were both fully clothed. He was hard though, erection ruining the line of his jeans. Eager to push inside and claim her. 

The idea didn’t disgust her like it should.

Neither did Jacob’s touch. She wasn’t averse to him tearing her pants off her body and tugging her panties to the side for a peak. He whistled lowly when he saw her sopping wet, bare cunt.

“All pretty for me, huh?” A thick finger prodded around her entrance. “Fuck, already?” He pulled his finger back, held it up to the light with a wicked smile. Showing off the slick there. “You must want me  _ bad.  _

Rook whined in response. Legs pulling him in as close as he could go. Letting him know that, yes, she wanted this. Had been wanting it for longer than she wanted to admit.

And that’s when everything fucking broke. His controlled words turned into groans that were muffled when he shoved his face into her pussy. 

His tongue focused on her clit. Licking and tugging that tiny bundle into his mouth. Making her hips buck up on their own accord. Which was something Jacob couldn’t have; one large paw clapped down on her stomach. Rooting her into place so he could properly eat her out. 

“Jacob—I’m—you’re gonna make me cum.”

He pulled away to suck in a breath, beard already dripping with her wetness. “Do it, honey. Fucking go ahead.” 

That was a direct command. And she knew damn well that you don’t disobey Jacob. 

When she came it was with sparks at the edges of her vision. She blocked everything out except for the feeling of that chord snapping inside her. Of pure bliss she never wanted to end. But then it was too much. Jacob was still going, shoving fingers inside her pussy to make her squirm. 

Her hands flew down to his head. Trying to push him away, to get him to  _ stop _ .

Jacob forced her to cum again. Moments later when he pushed in two more fingers and curled them up inside her. Hitting a sweet spot that made her yelp as pleasure washed over her again. 

“There we go, Rook. There we go.” 

Without warning he was pulling out his cock and pushing inside of her, eyes struggling to stay locked on hers. “Yes, fuck there we go,” he babbled, a wicked grin on his face when she moaned. Jacob’s mouth was held open, his eyes small slits, marvelling at how tight she was around him. 

Jacob didn’t seem like much of a kisser, she never pegged him for one, so it surprised her when he leaned down to devour her lips. Jamming his tongue inside her mouth as he thrusted in and out of her, their moans combining to make a beautiful song. 

“More,” she found herself screaming as Jacob picked up the pace. His body was shaking from the exertion, trying damn hard not to finish too soon. “Make me yours, Jacob. Only yours. I’ll do anything.” 

“Yeah? Wanna by my little soldier? Maybe I’ll keep you, pup, make you my cock warmer,” he mumbled against her neck, smiling when she whined at the image his words conjured in her mind. 

In the far recesses of her mind she realized how foolish this was. That later, when this was over, she might regret not fighting back. Taking this moment where he let down his walls and allowed her into his office, surrounded by documents that would ultimately help their cause. Would she be able to look the militia in the eyes and make them believe that Jacob hadn’t raped her? 

She came for a third time, yelling out because it  _ hurt.  _ With Jacob mumbling praises in her ear, letting her know how good she was, that this was her place. Beneath him. 

The only indication that he finished was how he tensed over her. Like he was in pain. She wrapped her legs around his toned waist, keeping him close so her walls could milk every last drop from his cock. 

Rook shuddered when Jacob pulled out. His come easing its way down her thighs, ruining the wood on his desk. 

She closed her eyes, legs dangling off the desk when he stepped away to clean himself off with a dirty shirt he picked up off the floor. He eyed her, head tilting before speaking. “Surprised you haven’t run yet.” 

Rook snorted, “would you let me run?”

At that, he laughed, head knocking back as his chest rumbled. “Oh sweetheart, you gotta know me better than that. Don’t you know that you’re already mine?”


	63. A Kiss pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook manages to trap Jacob inside one of his cages during her escape and before leaving, she kisses him

Jacob’s not quite sure exactly _how_ she did it. But that point is moot now. He doesn’t have time to dwell on how someone who’s been run ragged and deprived of food and water was able to escape his cage. But she has. 

He carves a path through his compound, wrath sparking in his eyes, making people jump out of his way when he storms past, barking out orders to sweep the grounds. 

Letting them know whose head is going to be served to the judges if she gets away. If he has to waste more time and money getting her back. 

“Fuckin’ hell.” He pauses at the entrance. Her cage is secluded, kept far from the din of the dying because she proved herself already. He was _so close._ Almost done with her trails. And she had to go and do this. 

He kneels in the dirt to fiddle with the lock. Irritation growing when he realized the thing doesn’t look like it’s been tampered with at all. The girl is a goddamn magician. 

It’s without thought that he steps inside the metal cage. Head bent low because he had the foresight to make this thing small. Ceiling too low for someone to stand. Discomfort is key. 

Not like it’s done much to stop Rook. 

He does a slow 360, hands on hips as he searches for any imperfection. A cracked metal bar, a divot in the hardened ground. 

Maybe she just slipped out between the gaps. “ _That’s why you’re so goddamn skinny.”_ He probably gave her the damn idea to do so. 

He’s sure he spots something, he’s just about to kneel in the dirt to get a closer look when the cage door clinks shut behind him. It’s not loud, it can’t be unless she wants someone else besides Jacob to hear and come running. 

Rook’s smiling at him when he turns. Looking feeble and weak, her bones jutting out crudely from her clothes. He knows that’s just a facade, that she couldn’t be any stronger. He couldn’t be any _prouder._

“Rook,” he warns softly, approaching until he’s right at the bars: the only thing stopping him from pinning her down and punishing her for thinking she was allowed to escape. “Fuckin’ open this.” He wraps a large hand around the bars, ratting the door to draw her eyes. Just in case he isn’t being clear. 

She shakes her head innocently, reaching out to lay her hand over his. He feels an immediate reaction to jerk away, to scream and alert his men. He pushes it down, instead he glares at her, trying to convey that he’s still the one in control. That she has no power. He’s sure it loses its effect when he’s forced to bend over lest he wants to bang his head against the ceiling. 

His eyes flit around her face. Taking in the dirt smudges and scratches along her skin. He opens his mouth to speak—to threaten. Before he can do so she’s leaning up on tippy toes to press her lips to his. It’s a ghost of a kiss, just a gentle brushing of their lips because his deputy is smart. And a second later he’s lashing out, teeth attempting to nip at her, hand flinging out between the bars to grab her. He misses, of course, and she dances out of the way. 

“You’re playing a dangerous game here, deputy.” He’s surprised by how calm he sounds despite the fast beat of his heart. 

“Who says it’s a game?”

He blinks at that, unable to answer her soft wave of goodbye because his mind is racing, spiraling with confusion. He hadn’t expected that. 

His eyes flutter shut as he bows his head, letting it rest against cool metal. 

He still feels the warmth on his lips, right where she kissed him so sweetly. He doesn’t want to imagine how it’d be if he just let it happen. If he didn’t interrupt her the way he had. 

It’s new information, something he should use against her, a weakness maybe. But his head won’t stop spinning and his stomach feels tight in a way it hasn’t in a long while. 

Jacob knows he should wait. That he should collect his thoughts and plan for the next time he takes her. He should let her run around and try to help the same people he sees as weak and unworthy. But Jacob can’t wait to get his hands on her. Oh the things he’ll do. 


	64. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shy and inexperienced Rook telling Jacob that she loves him

Rook shifts on her feet and toys with her fingers. She pointedly does not look up when Jacob enters, rounding his desk to collapse into his chair with enough force to make it grind back harshly on the concrete. 

“So, what is it that’s so important that you pulled me from my meeting?”

Her mind draws a blank as soon as she hears him speak. She spent nearly thirty minutes trying to think of what to say. Of what would capture Jacob’s attention long enough for him to hear her out while she stumbled over her words. Now though, standing here in front of him, his subordinate and still not quite trusted employee, her nerves get the better of her.

“Well?” He leans forward, fingers rapping the desk. 

“I—“

“You told my guards this wouldn’t take long.”

“It won’t.”

He huffs, falling back in his chair. “Look at me when you talk, soldier.”

Her head snaps up immediately and she jerks her head into a nod. “Yessir.” This role she’s been given is still new. Being on Jacob’s side, on the Seeds’ side, is new. She's learning how to consider them as people she’s supposed to listen to and respect when only months prior she was fighting alongside the resistance. She’s trying to learn fast, eager to impress Jacob.

So far she isn’t doing so hot. 

“Can I sit, sir?”

He mutters something under his breath before motioning her towards the chair with a wave of his hand. 

“You’ve got five minutes.” As if to make his point clear he yanks open the top drawer of his desk and produces a timer. The kind she remembers her mother using in the kitchen when they made cookies. 

It ticks steadily once he winds it up, a constant reminder that she’s weak. That she lacks the will to just open her mouth and talk to him. 

Jacob’s patient, he’s had more practice at waiting then she ever will. For now he’s content to watch her squirm. She knows she amuses him, that to him she’s nothing more than someone to poke and prod at. Another piece of meat to examine. 

He’s not smiling, but his eyebrows are raised ever so slightly. He’s enjoying this. 

Rook tucks her hair behind her ears and forces herself to look him in his eyes. “I’m really appreciative of what you’ve done for me, sir. I wanted to thank you for a while now.”

She thinks for a moment Jacob’s going to kick her out of his office and tell her not to waste his time. But he’s strangely quiet and she has no choice but to continue. 

“I know I could’ve chosen to work beside any one of your siblings, but I wanted you.” She stares at him with an expectant look on her face. Hoping he’ll see the double meaning in her words that she’s scared to spell out explicitly. 

“Rook.”

“Yes, sir?”

“I’m not dense.” She panics, eyes widening because that’s not what she meant at all. He holds his hand up when she opens her mouth. “You’ve got something to say. So say it.”

“Okay.” She swallows thickly and bobs her head.  _ Just bite the bullet. Say it. Freaking say it already! _

“I think I like you.” 

She’s not looking at him anymore. She doesn’t think she can. Her cheeks are a fierce color of pink, burning worse under his scrutinizing gaze. 

There’s this awful few seconds of quiet where she really does think it’d be so much better if the floor opened up and swallowed her whole. 

“Jacob?”

He glares at her through light colored lashes and blinks real slow. 

She tries again through her embarrassment and shame. “I love you, Jacob.” 

“Yeah right,” he’s got this snarl on his face that makes her shrink back into her seat. She’s made him mad. “The hell are you playing at, Rook? You think I’m that weak? That I’m...what? Easily manipulated? Anyone would be able to see what a ploy this is.”

“No, no, no,” Rook’s about to say something, to plead a case that's bound to fall on deaf ears, but Jacob stands and waves her words away. She wants to stand too, to grab hold of his shoulders and repeat what she said. To convince him. 

He’s gone before she has the chance. Slamming the door behind him with enough force to shake everything in the room. 

It’s at that moment that whatever God exists gives her a big middle finger and lets the timer ring. It’s loud and obnoxious, she’s sure that if anyone’s occupying the rooms next to his office that they’re hearing it. 

Her hands go into action and lets her brain play catch up as she turns off the timer and lets the sudden quiet of the room seep into her bones.

She sees herself out. 

*****

It’s dark when she catches sight of Jacob. He’s doing his nightly rounds, making laps through the rows of cages. Speaking too low for her to hear from where she is; sitting on an overturned crate filling clips with bullets in a way that’s now muscle memory. 

The moonlight is illuminating the fiery red of his hair and making his figure shine in a way that makes her heart stutter. 

“Cover for me, Zach.” 

Zach has no real say, even if he’ll also face Jacob’s anger when he realizes she’s not where she’s meant to be, but she can’t help herself. She knows deep down that she loves him, and she’s not living the rest of her life beside this man trying to quell those feelings. Besides, he’s mostly alone right now, out of sight if she’d be willing to risk pulling him between the dark alley of the buildings. 

“Jacob.” 

Maybe it’s the low light, but she’s sure he flinches before turning towards her. Whatever the case she doesn’t mention it.

“Don’t you’ve got something to keep you busy, Rook?” 

Anger bubbles up inside her for a second, barely repressed until she realizes that it’ll get her nowhere. 

She raises her chin, trying to hold his gaze before her nerves get the better of her. “You know, you can’t avoid me forever.” She regrets talking almost immediately, when pure rage takes over his face. And just like that she’s quiet again, shy and scared and starting to wonder what’s gotten into her. 

“Who says I’m avoiding you? My world doesn’t revolve around you. I’ve got things to tend to.” Her jerks his head forward, towards the path he’d been walking down before she blocked him. “You want to love me, fine,” he shrugs with an air of casualty that breaks her heart. “Go for it. But I’m not  _ kind,  _ sweetheart. I’m not the soft, little husband you’re searching for.”

“Who says I’m searching for soft?” She asks gently, mirroring his own question. She steps forward and, in a moment of bravery she places her hand on his chest. Uncaring of the prisoners around them, some of which she knows is watching them both with rapt attention. A mixture of fear and curiosity.

“I do love you, Jacob. I do.” Her hand creeps up to his cheek tentatively and she strokes through his beard. “Please believe me.”

“You haven’t exactly given me a reason to.”

“I can’t,” she admits, “all you have is my word.” 

Jacob tips his head into her hand and sighs. “If I find out you’re lying to me—“

“You’ll tear me apart piece by piece and feed me to your judges. You’ll probably broadcast it to the whole of the county, let everyone know what happens when they fuck with Jacob Seed.” She smiles, stepping even closer until she’s forced to look up. “Good thing I’m not lying.”

Jacob laughs, it’s bitter and sad as he angles his head down. His nose barely brushing hers. “You’re not gonna leave me alone, huh?”

“After you just let me in like this? Not at all.” She has an insane urge to kiss him, to show him every ounce of her love, that she’s being serious. For now though, being this close, being given a chance, it’s enough. 


	65. Amnesia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob and Rook, despite all they’ve been through, are happily married. They’ve had a son together and are expecting their second child. For the first time in a while things are looking up; then the Militia attack.

Rook curls up against Jacob’s chest and relishes in the warmth of his skin. If she ever dared to ask she knows that he wouldn’t describe himself as soft, but right now that’s all that comes to mind. He’s incredibly cozy during these moments, when not a single nightmare has startled him awake and his whole face is lax with sleep. 

“Jake,” she cups his cheek tenderly, moving closer to kiss his neck. She sucks his skin, nipping at it with her teeth, a smile forming when his thick forearm falls heavily around her middle. 

“G’morning,” he mumbles, eyes blinking open blearily. He finds her instantly and a smile appears on his face. It’s something he does more often—grin at her the way he’s doing now. 

He’s still Jacob, the same man who defended his siblings actions and didn’t quite mind shoving her in a cage that first time. He’s big and tough and if he wanted to he could still slaughter an entire nation. 

Somehow though, against all odds, she finds herself here. Cuddling with a bear of a person who has never received this much love, and who never expected to have a family outside his brothers. 

Jacob brings up a hand to rub at his eyes, “think we got lucky this time?”

She cocks her head comically and absolutely oes not swoon at Jacob’s low chuckle. “Sounds like it.”

Which turns out to be the wrong thing to say because it’s at that moment Jason rushes in. He’s jumping on the bed before Rook can brace for impact. 

Jacob is...strangely good with kids. Maybe it shouldn’t be such a surprise, he’s told her his whole life story. The abuse he suffered before and after his brothers were born. How he swore to protect John when he first saw the marks left on his delicate skin. That he raised his brothers all alone. It’s still a shock to her system though when Jacob grabs ahold of their son and squeezes him tight. 

There’s a smile playing on his lips when Jason giggles, squirming in closer to Jacob’s broad chest. 

“Whatcha doing up, kiddo? Isn’t it a little early?” 

“I had to say good morning to Peanut.”

Jacob gives her a _look._ This little faux angry frown that makes her insides do flips. 

“Didja now?” 

“I did,” Jason declares in a very matter of fact way that she knows doesn’t come from her. Jason wiggles around to face Rook, a goofy smile appearing on his lips. 

She lets him huddle in close for a hug before he’s slipping out of her grasp to be down beside her bulging stomach. 

His eyes soften as he speaks gently. “Hello little Nut. It’s morning now, and it’s so pretty out today. The suns finally out, winter’s over. And Easter’s coming soon. Maybe you’ll be here by then.”

Rook glances up and Jacob and smiles. They both know it’ll be another three months, but Jason’s excitement is contagious. 

Jason’s still chattering away when Jacob grabs hold of his tiny shoulder and jostles him. “Brush your teeth this morning?” 

“Not yet.”

“Well then, c’mon. I’ll help. Mommy will make breakfast.”

His face lights up as he glances between them. “Waffles?”

“Waffles.” She agrees, watching with a warm heart as he cheers and pulls at Jacob to get up. 

Their breakfast goes as it always does. Jacob keeps his work off the table, even _he_ doesn’t want his child to know of the reputation he has. That he does horrid things yet he’s not kept up at night by those things. That the reason Jacob doesn’t let Jason out front in the yard is because there are people in cages. 

He keeps it as lighthearted as he can, but Rook knows he’s stressed. He doesn’t want to leave the walls of the building they call home, but he doesn’t want Jason to be trapped. 

She can read him easily, she sees the tension in his face when breakfast comes to a close. They both know that the next few hours will be rough. Jacob will disappear like he always does and Rook will be left to pick up the pieces of her dejected son. 

“You think he hates me?”

“Jacob—“

“No,” he holds up a hand to silence her, eyes glancing off towards Jason’s bedroom, “don’t tell me it’s not possible. You see how upset he gets when I go. Does he ever—has he asked you where I go?”

“Of course.”

“Does he wish I wouldn’t go?”

“Jacob you’re his father, you know the answers to these questions.”

“Exactly. So when he gets older, what’s stopping him from assuming I don’t love him? That the reason I leave is because I don’t care about my family?”

Rook can’t help it, she leans in to kiss him. She cups the base of his skull and draws him in closer. Only pulling back when she’s in desperate need of air. 

“He adores you Jacob. And this one will too,” she takes his large hand and lays it over her stomach. “You’re an excellent father, and one day this county will be safe and Jason will have you to thank for that. That’s why you’re fighting, Jake. For us.” She kisses him one last time, eyes sparkling bright when she releases him. “Now go, you’re men are probably falling all over themselves without you.”

*****

It’s utter chaos and she can’t find him. 

Lord above but she can’t find Jacob. 

She pushes through the crowds without a weapon and she thinks about how angry Jacob will be when they stumble upon each other. She needs to imagine him mad because if she doesn’t then she’ll imagine him dead. 

And he’s not. Her husband, the father of her children, herald of Eden’s Gate, _cannot_ be dead. 

“Teddy!” Her hands wrap around his arm and she pulls him in close to yell over the explosions in the distance. “Where’s Jacob?” 

He’s Jacob’s right hand, he’s meant to protect him. 

“He sent me back, ma’am.” 

“He—“ she pauses, realizing there’s no need to ask why. This man has watched over her during her last pregnancy, he sat up late at night when Jacob visited the Valley and he didn’t want to leave her and Jason alone. 

Teddy squirms under her gaze. “We need to get you back inside.”

It confirms her suspicions, that Jacob is risking his life on the front line with no trusted man on his side to watch him. Just so she’d be safe. 

Oh her stupid, idiot of a husband. 

“You’re pregnant, and your child—“

“Is fine. He’s safe, he’s got his earplugs in. But I want you up there with him.”

“Ma’am?”

“I’m going after my husband.” Teddy stares at her moment longer. People fly by them, yelling orders and following commands from the front lines. He gives her a small, sad smile and runs off. 

She can’t remember the last time the Veteran Center was attacked. She’s sure it’s only happened once, being here though, witnessing it first hand, it’s terrifying. Knowing that her husband is in the thick of it, that he could die—

“Jacob?!” 

Realistically she knows she shouldn’t yell. Especially once she pushes herself through the last of his men and winds up outside the gates. 

She’s already drawn attention to herself by her mere presence. She’s the soldier’s wife, the project knows the kind of punishment they’ll get if anything happens to her. And the resistance, steadily marching their way up the winding road, sees her too. She’s been MIA for years, sightings of her so brief and few and far between that there’s a noticeable stir that goes through the crowd. 

“Jacob…” she sees him now. Far, far away from her and in trouble. The men and women who swore to protect him lie dead, scattered at his feet. 

Rook’s running before she can help it. She doesn’t have any kind of weapon, she’s six months pregnant and she can hardly walk on the best of days. But she’s going for it now, she’s stumbling and tripping as bullets whiz by her until she reaches a felled tree to use as cover. 

She’s ready to make another sprint, even if the resistance are almost on them now, but before she can, the whole earth explodes beneath her feet. 

Rook gets thrown twenty feet, directly into a tree. Her back bends painfully, hands trying to grab ahold of something. She falls face first into mud and stays there. She can’t move, she can’t _hear._ A dull ringing noise fills her ears, the kind that she’s learned to associate with bombs. 

Someone blew them up. 

When she does manage to roll over on her back, her hands go immediately to her stomach. Fear rises in her throat as she feels for blood. There’s nothing there but the torn fabric of her shirt and dirt. That doesn’t do much to stop her panic. 

“I’m okay.” She says it softly as a way to convince herself to move. She still might be in danger and she needs to _move_.

“Deputy Rook?” 

Someone’s kneeling beside her before she can scream or even fight. But she blinks twice and realizes it’s Teddy. 

“Ted,” she reaches up to grab at him. Clinging to his shirt as he scoops her up. Jacob doesn’t want anyone less than the strong, and Teddy’s exactly that. He holds her with ease, letting her weep into his chest as he practically runs from the scene of the carnage. 

“Is Jacob—“

“Okay ma’am. He’s unconscious, but alive. The doctor’s with him now.”

The doctor. She knows without him telling her that that’s where they’re going now. So she lets herself fade, content with the knowledge that Jacob’s okay, and she falls away. 

*****

Rook’s shaking. She’s fine, her baby is fine and Jason is sleeping on the chair next to her. She shouldn’t be so scared, but the news the doctors just told her is earth shattering. She doesn’t want to believe it. And the moment she steps into his hospital room it’ll be real. 

_He won’t remember her, this family he built doesn’t exist to him. He knows his name, his past—the war he fought in and the brothers he grew up protecting. Not her._

“What’s the point?” She asked them, completely at a loss and searching for answers. “If he doesn’t remember me…” they told her that her voice, some pictures, the ring on her finger, might jog his memory. 

She asked the doctors one last thing, she couldn’t help herself. “He remembers some stuff. His brothers and sister, his role in Eden’s Gate. So does he think I’m the enemy still?”

Because that can’t be fixed. The way they fell in love, how, despite all the turmoil, he let her in. It took so long for him to stop all the torture he put her through...and now.

The doctors didn’t have an answer for that. But their faces said it all. 

That was an hour ago. 

“You should go speak to him.”

She flinches at Joseph’s voice. It’s as soft and coaxing as she last remembers it. 

“He’s awake, aware of his surroundings.” Joseph pauses, eyes flickering down to where Jason’s asleep. There’s a frown on his lips. “I’ll watch your son for you. Go Rook. He’s still your husband.”

There’s a thousand and one snarky replies she could say to that. Instead she stands up and gives Joseph a curt nod in thanks before she marches off to where Jacob’s being kept. 

She knocks, maybe she shouldn’t after all that she’s seen of this man, but she does. And his guarded ‘come in’ doesn’t help alleviate her anxiety. 

From the moment she steps in her worst fears come true. 

His eyes go wide as she shuts the door behind her. His muscles go all tense under the blankets, already she sees him calculating, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. She’s practically a stranger.

“Deputy,” he regards her cooly. There’s no love there, none of the familiarity she once knew. 

“Jacob.”

She shifts on her feet. “May I sit?”

He doesn’t respond, he’s probably confused. She’s not too sure if Joseph told him anything. 

“I’ll sit,” she says instead, and it’s without thought that she falls down on his bedside. That’s apparently a mistake. Because in an instant his arm shoots out and grabs her by the throat. His large hand—the same ones that caressed her sweetly and held their son when he was born—is squeezing the life out of her. 

“Knew you were good, deputy, but I didn’t think you could slip past my men. You’re a bold little thing.”

“Jake—“

“Shush, pup. Behave for once and listen.”

 _Pup._ It’s what he used to call her before...before everything really. It’s meant to be demeaning and humiliating. Something that used to make her cheeks burn. 

Instead she just blinks at him, her own hands coming up to grab around his forearm. 

“Come here to finish me off?” He jerks his head down to his bandaged side. _He thinks I did that to him._

“No…”

“Hmph.” He’s about to say something else, probably call for help, or maybe he was just about to kill her. Though it’s then that he rolls his eyes and his gaze travels down…

And he stops on the bulge of his stomach. 

His brows knit together. 

“How long was I—“

She can guess the gist of what he’s going to ask. How long was he asleep? How much has he forgotten? Why the hell doesn’t he remember the rogue deputy terrorizing him getting knocked up? She can guess, but she’ll never know, because the door flings open and Jason comes running in. 

Jacob jumps, hand falling away from her throat at the sudden intrusion of the child that’s clambering up on his hospital bed. He stares, wide mouth as Joseph trails in after 

“Daddy! Daddy! You’re okay! And Peanut—“

“Jason!” Rook snags him and wrestles him on her lap before he can climb on top of Jacob.

“Brother…” Jacob’s breathing hitches as he stares at Joseph. “There’s a lot I’m thinking you didn’t tell me.” 

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

Jason squirms in her arms, a whine slipping past his lips at being held back from his dad. His arms stretch out towards Jacob, making grabby hands at him. 

Rook freezes when Jacob reaches out and takes Jason from her. He’s stronger than her, so really she wouldn’t have been able to hold her son from him. 

He visibly winces when Jason winds his arms around Jacob’s neck. He’s scared, Rook can see that in his eyes.

“Your ring.” His voice drops low as he takes in the diamond on her finger and pieces that together with her stomach. “The hell did I do, Joseph?” Tears form in his eyes and his arms drop from where he was holding Jason.

“Joseph, what happened?”

He’s crying now, silently, with tears running down his cheeks and no sound coming out, but he’s crying. 

“Daddy?” Jason pulls back, lip wobbling as he glances between Jacob and Rook. “Are you hurt? Uncle Joseph said—“

Jacob startles at the title. “Jesus fucking Christ.” He rubs a hand over his face. “I can’t…”

Rook stands carefully, taking a couple steps back. Her hand instinctively comes to rub at her stomach. “He doesn’t want this, Joseph,” she whispers as he all but shoves his Jason away. 

“He’ll come around.”

“He won’t.” She steps forward to collect her son. She bundles him up in his arms and speaks softly in his ear. She lets him know that it’ll be okay, that they’re safe and that daddy’s still hurt. She’ll explain later, she promises. 

“Where are you going to go, Rook?” Joseph asks softly. 

“Dunno.”

“The resistance won’t help you. They’ll hurt you and your kids.”

She wants to argue with that, but her body deflates. She’s about to yell at Jacob, she’s on the verge of it. She hates the way he’s swiping at his tears, how he’s staring at her like he hates her mere existence. 

It takes all her willpower to turn around and open the door. Where she almost runs directly into John. 

He takes in her angry expression and the sadness that’s mixed in. 

“Rook—“

“John!” Jacob perks up, seemingly proud of remembering his baby brother. But all John does is nod curtly at Jacob. He instead directs his attention to her and her alone. 

He’s a smart man, able to read her well. “You’re welcome to stay with me, my dear. Given what I can only assume what Jacob’s thinking.” When she gives him a quizzical look he just says, “you’re family.” Then, almost challenging Jacob, “do you have a problem with that brother?”

“Of course not, she’s…” he tapers off. Eyes straying to Jason who’s held tight in Rook’s arms. “She’s the deputy.” It comes out a whisper, but there’s truth in the statement, Rook knows. She can’t blame him, the last thing he remembers is her fighting him, trying to kill him and making his life hell. He remembers her locked in his cages, dirty and starving, baring her teeth at him. 

He doesn’t remember the times she held him close and hushed his cries when he woke up from his night terrors. He doesn’t remember their anniversary, when he took her hunting, when they ate by a stream that very day. 

To him, they’re not compatible. 

“Let’s go, Rook.” John tugs at her arm, wheeling her around to face the door. To finally leave her husband behind. 

And as soon as she’s gone, being ushered into John’s car, she breaks. Jason presses himself into her side when John holds her from her left. He lays a kiss to her head like she’s a child. 

“Don’t cry, my dear. Please try to be strong.” His hands cup over her stomach, touching her the same way Jacob used to. That thought makes her sob harder. 

“I love him, John.” 

“And he loves you. He does. He’s confused, scared too. You know your husband, he’s afraid, that’s all.” 

John continues to talk, but it’s distant. It’s the background music to the closing of a sad, terribly miserable play. And she's the lead role, isn’t she?


	66. Flirtatious pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob comes to find out the hard way that conditioning doesn't quite work on Rook

He’s been prancing around for nearly five minutes and it’s driving her mad. 

She isn’t exactly proud of the little voice inside her head that tells her how hot Jacob is, but she’s come to live with it. She can't control the way heat spikes low in her belly when she hears the low drawl of his voice and sees the way the muscles behind his jeans contract. 

She’s staring at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to walk away from the captives in front of her and make his way to her. He finally, fucking finally, glances up, and in that moment it feels as if he’s talking directly to her. Like there’s no one else in the room besides them. 

It’s wrong to feel this way. It’s wrong that her first thought upon seeing one of his Uncle Sam-esque posters was that he can totally get it. She realizes this, had realized it a long time ago. She thought she’d be able to stomp all those urges down, but now, as he stands directly in front of her, that it was a stupid thought to cling to.

He crouches down, mouth still moving with words she’s not quite listening to, and he brackets her in with powerful arms as he yanks her chair closer. A tiny thrill shoots up her spine as they’re inches apart and his fingertips brush her arm.

When he stands he has this little smile on his face that she can't decipher. And she knows he must want it to. Why else would he be looking at her like that?

In the next moment he pulls something from his pocket and presents it to her. Briefly her eyes flicker down if only to appease him. It’s nothing special that she can tell, just a banged up wooden box. It’s when he opens it that she sways slightly, eyes fluttering at the sweet tune.

A few seconds pass where she bites down hard on her lip and listens to the song he’s chosen for her. There’s silence in the room. Then she hears the tell tale sound of thrashing and she looks up at the other people in the room. If she didn't know any better she just might say they’re seizing, that someone needs to help them. But she knows Jacob’s reputation, and it’s a good sign then that he’s not panicking. No, he only has eyes for her.

“That’s a real cute song, Jacob, but, ah…” She pauses and fixes him with her best alluring gaze. She doesn't think she's gorgeous, but she can flutter her lashes and pout all she wants. “I think we can skip the theatrics and, y’know…”

He stares at her, and his eyebrows twitch. He crouches down again, moving slow as he holds onto her shoulders and peers into her eyes. He’s closer now, close enough to kiss. She leans forward to, lets him get a nice look, but then he’s pulling away.

“Fucking hell, c’mon, Jacob.” She squirms in her bonds, legs straining against the metal cuffs feebly. “We can do it in your office, you can bend me over your desk and just fucking rail me—”

“Shut the fuck up.” 

The music’s still playing. The box held tight in his fist, crushed almost to the point of breaking it. 

“No ones gotta know, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

If he’s at all affected by what she’s saying, he hides it well.

“Quiet.” He shakes her chair sharply, some weak reprimand if she’s ever seen it. He’s still staring at her, anger and confusion in his eyes. “Guess you really are something different, huh? Gonna have to use other methods.”

Oh yes, she likes the sound of that. 

“Other methods..?” Her lips curl suggestively. 

His eyes close—there we go—he’s angry now. Done with her bullshit. “I’ll hang you upside down and fucking whip you. Do you like the sound of that, dep? Are those the ‘methods’ you so desperately want me to do to you?”

Her jaw goes slack at his brief explanation. “I was considering a spanking but hell if you want go right to the brutal stuff then  _ take me.”  _

Jacob, for all his stoicism, throws up his hands and huffs. He turns on his heels and walks away from her, going to rub at the bridge of his nose. 

“Pratt, watch her,  _ please _ .” 

Rook tips her head. She must’ve done something to him to make Jacob Seed say please. 

“I gotta call Joseph,” he ends curtly, not even giving her one last glance, which makes her deflate. 

“So…” she begins unsteadily, catching her former co-worker’s gaze. “Do you think he was serious? About all that torture stuff. ‘Cause really I don’t think I’d mind if he’d—“

“Rook!”

There’s a mix of shock and horror on Pratt’s face that makes her clamp her lips shut. She settles back into her chair and sighs with a shrug. “Fine. I’ll just wait for him to get back with Joseph. Maybe it’s all a cover, y’know, a little threesome action?”

She falls quiet again, and two floors up, Jacob’s watching over the whole thing, phone held loosely in his hands. He’s not too sure calling Joseph now would be the right move. In fact, John might work better. He’s drowning in charisma and charm. If anyone will be able to put Rook in her place, as sinful as she is, it’d be his baby brother. 

Because he doesn’t want a damn thing to do with this. He’s to fucking old to deal with this. This is John's problem now. 


	67. Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook makes Jacob a knitted blanket

Between Eli’s constant rescue missions and Tammy’s insistence that Rook prove she’s not a traitor, she’s been busy. It’s almost impossible to find a moment to herself, it’d be selfish to take a break, she doesn’t have the luxury to lie back and rest. Each moment she’s not out there fighting, another person dies. 

So really she shouldn’t be doing this. If anyone found out, if  _ Tammy found _ out, the militia would throw her out on her ass and disown her. Or kill her for knowing too much. Either way this is a bad idea. She  _ might _ be able to explain it away, because right now the arts and crafts project tucked in her lap doesn’t resemble much. 

Three weeks in however, working when she should be sleeping, it’s suspicious. 

She stands and fans the knitted yarn out to lie flat on the floor. It’s probably the biggest one she’s done yet. A full, proper blanket. She runs an appraising eye over her work, hands on her hips. 

Her lips twist, picking out imperfections. She sighs and grabs the bridge of her nose. She knows what the problem is—she’s been looking at it for too long. She’s finding faults where there are none, only because she wants this to be nothing less than perfect. 

He deserves it. 

Lots of people might not agree with her. They’d tell her he deserves death. Others say he should suffer, pay for all the atrocities he’s committed, have those same horrid things done to him tenfold. 

She thinks he needs a little love. Some kindness where it isn’t obliged by blood. He has his brothers and sister, she’s seen first hand behind the bars of a cage how much Joseph loves Jacob. And though she’s never seen John and Jacob in the same room outside of that fateful day in the church, she knows they have an unbreakable bond. But she also knows too well how easy it is for doubts to fester. For someone to wonder if a relative's love is a necessity. If they feel like they  _ have  _ to show how much they love you. 

He needs this. It won’t soften him, she doesn’t think it’ll be that easy to break down Jacob’s walls. But it’s a start. 

So she gazes at the knitted blanket she’s spent nearly a month on and decides that it’s as good as it’ll ever be. She just needs to find a way to get it to him. 

Which is easier said than done. Really she’s not too sure why she thought it’d be simple. But it’s when she’s tracking Jacob’s calculated routine that she realizes this might get her killed. 

It’s only when, by chance, with her watching him later than she should’ve, that she finds her chance. The sun’s down and Eli is expecting her for a debriefing on tomorrow’s plans, but she’s been spying on Jacob for days now and the longer she waits the more nervous she gets. Eventually she’ll create enough reasons in her mind to not give it to him. 

He drives off away from the veteran center—a place she scratched off her list as to where to leave his gift because the place has speakers all over and she isn’t looking to go through his trials sooner than she has to, and he heads South. 

Rook has never given it much thought as to where Jacob sleeps. In fact she assumed he didn’t sleep much at all. Too concerned about keeping an eye on her and the Whitetails. So when he pulls up to a dark cabin, she thinks it’s a lucky find on his part. Someplace quiet that belonged to a most likely dead citizen.

Then he pulls out a key from his pocket and she gets a small peek into the cabin and her mouth goes dry. It’s his own little home. 

It’s perfect. 

She waits as long as she can, hoping for him to be asleep before she goes in. She lasts two hours before she breaks and says  _ screw it.  _

His windows are all locked and so is his door, not quite a surprise but it still makes the bitter taste of defeat form on her tongue. 

She ends up wiggling a Bobby pin in his lock and sliding the door open. She slips inside soundlessly and gives her eyes a moment to adjust. 

As she pads across the wooden floor, careful for any creaky boards, she slips the blanket out from her bag and into her hands. 

Even in the darkness of the room the blanket seems impossibly bright. The red color she picked was a good choice, it’s the closest hue she could kind that matches the hilt of his knife. She wants it to be personal, for him to treasure it, so she prays that red really is his favorite color and not just some intimidation, psychological bullshit on what colors do to the brain. 

And if he hates the color, the small embellishments she added should help.

Rook stops in the middle of the room and decides to leave the blanket on the kitchen table. Unless he does something crazy like leave through his bedroom window, he won’t be able to miss this.

She folds it neatly, making sure that his initials, the large J.S. that took forever to knit, are showing on top. 

Her hands smooth it down one last time before she dashes out the door, scared to test her luck anymore than she had. 

*****

Jacob’s been staring at it for a while now, hand resting on his knife like he expects something more than a fleece blanket. Or maybe it’s knitted. He’s not sure, what the fuck does he know about this kind of stuff?

He considers calling John, have him do a search of the perimeter. Then he realizes how goddamn stupid he’s being and steps forward. 

It's soft to the touch, clean too, both things strange for Hope County. Things that only serve to make him more suspicious. But when he lifts the blanket and shakes it out, he huffs slightly, lips quirking.

It’s just a blanket. 

And...it’s meant for him. 

He tosses it back down on the kitchen table where it was left, only this time he leaves it unfurled. The deep red is almost identical to his knife—his rifle. That could be thrown away as a coincidence, but the initials were not. Nor were the tiny, scattered wolf heads. All tipping their heads up as if howling. If he were standing any further back he would’ve missed this tiny detail. 

“Now who sent you?” He murmurs to himself, lifting the blanket up, cradling it close before he tosses it over his shoulder. That’s when he breathes in and really smells the thing. 

*****

“Deputy Rook. You there?”

She freezes where she’s kneeling down, busy cupping water into her mouth. Jacob doesn’t have to say anything more than a simple greeting for her to tense. There’s only one reason why he’d call her. And right now she’s exposed and vulnerable. Jacob could come for her and she wouldn’t be able to do a thing. 

“Jacob. It’s been a while since you last called me.”

“It has.” He sounds distant, not angry or threatening like she’s so used to. 

She breathes deep, wiping water droplets off her chin. “And that’s usually when I piss you off.” She winces, quick to continue, “I’ve been good, not sure what I did this time, if I’m being honest.”

He laughs, a sound that makes her brows furrow. “Not calling to reprimand you, take a breath.”

“So...didja just want to chat?”

“No. No, I wanted to thank you for your gift. Never took you much for the artsy type, yet I’ve got a nice looking blanket in my lap.” 

She doesn’t miss a beat, “what are you talking about?”

“This blanket that just showed up inside my cabin. You gave it to me, spent time to make it yourself. Makes me wonder…”

She stands on shaky legs and fights to keep her voice straight. “What gives you the idea that I’d risk my life like that? For you of all people? Anyone could’ve done something like that.” 

“I’d be more likely to accept that answer if it didn’t  _ smell  _ like you.”

She’s speechless. She never thought she’d have nothing to say when confronted with one of the Seeds. Her heart stutters in her chest and Jacob  _ laughs.  _ It’s hearty and warm, something she had wanted to hear for a long while now. That had been the point of this, hadn’t it? 

So why does his deep laugh make her feel so sick? Like she just signed herself away?


	68. Fierce Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook just moved to Hope County and Jacob happens to live next door, trying to fight the battle inside himself on whether he should love her

Jacob doesn’t like it here. It’s not what he had been expecting when Joseph suggested they skip town—states really—and travel to Montana. 

He wanted endless woods and flowing rivers. He had been hoping for seclusion. This tiny plot of land John had given to him in lieu of anything better was temporary, but that doesn’t mean Jacob can’t be upset. 

He’s got  _ neighbors.  _

Well, neighbor, singular, but still. His point stands. He told Joseph that if he were going to be involved with whatever this was, he’d get to choose how he interacts with Joseph’s flock, with people in general really. He doesn’t want to raise the kids—he’s had enough of that when he was just a kid himself—he didn’t want to deal with the drugs they’re trying to get off the ground because he’s been around plenty of illegal substances when he was in Iraq.

Joseph told him that he’ll do what he does best. He’ll protect the project. He will be a soldier. Right now, before this thing is even off the ground, Jacob has a lack of clientele to speak of. Which he doesn’t mind, he knows in a few years time he’ll be more than busy training others to fight and kill. For now he needs time to plan. He wants to be alone for that, he isn’t going to be the one to let something slip, to arouse any suspicions among the locals. 

His new neighbor changes everything. She moved in three weeks after his family did, and it’s more the lack of hatred he has for her that drives him crazy. If anyone else but Rook had moved into the house next door, he might’ve gone the extra mile just to scare them away.

In the beginning he only sees her from afar. That first morning when she arrived and she scampered back and forth from the moving van to her home. Pulling out loads of boxes that he knew she needed help with. He didn’t extend that hand, he wanted to watch her. Figure her out.

From what he can see, she’s  _ cute.  _ Maybe it’s not the first thing he should’ve noticed—but he doesn’t scold himself on that—not like she has the chance to be offended. 

Her shorts are low cut and tight and even from ten feet away he can see a lot. Whenever she bends down to pick up a box and lifts it with a grunt he gets an eyeful of a perky ass that begs to be grabbed. 

At one point she catches his eye. Smiles his way and waves. He can’t help it, the corner of his lips quirks up at her eagerness. 

So she’s nice then. Bubbly like a child. Walking with a sway in her hips. Which...she hadn’t been doing before. Until she knew he was there. Standing on his porch and leaning against his house. Watching. 

He decides that he most definitely has time for this. 

*****

She greets him at his door the next day. He’s coming back from a meeting with his family which would leave anyone tense considering the topic. He tries to add his two sense, but it seems like his brothers and sister are on the same page while Jacob is stuck on the first fucking chapter. 

He tries to talk of expansion, of the need of an army, that people will come for them one day. Cops or otherwise. Joseph waved him away, so calm. That’s when he took a jab that he knew he shouldn't have. When he asked just why they had to go cross country. Why did Jacob sit in an old bus for days atop their crate of guns? Because even in Georgia there were rumors, those who didn’t like their family. 

That’s around the time Jacob just sat back and let them talk. But they’re slow, speaking of building a church and places for their flock to live. So how long is it going to take for him to finally have a role here? He isn’t sure, but it’s enough to make him speed all the way home. 

He’s pissed and seeing her standing there, like she’s been waiting for hours, makes him grind his teeth together. 

“Hello,” she steps forward before he can slide past her. Holding out an expectant hand. 

He takes it begrudgingly, knowing what his brothers had just got done saying. To not rock the boat, don’t make any enemies just yet. 

She beams at that, her whole face lighting up as she shakes his hand vigorously, a laugh bubbling up from her throat. 

“My name's Rook. I moved in next door.”

“Jacob.” 

She lingers even after he pulls away. Rocking slightly on her heels, throwing glances around. 

Jacob watches her, and he’s sure she knows he’s looking. She lets him though. Doesn’t say a word as he tracks every small freckle and divot on her face. 

He could tell her off, make it clear that he doesn’t want any friends. He could. She’s an adult, she’s aware that the world is a cold and cruel place. She’d understand his hostility because people are assholes. 

But he doesn’t. He’s not sure why, maybe intuition, some gut level feeling that he can’t turn her away. If Jacob’s learned anything in his life, it’s to listen to himself, to accept the strange stirring in his stomach whether good or bad. That’s why he’s alive. 

He sighs. “You wanna come in?”

“I—you sure?” 

“I asked.”

She nods, quick and forceful like she’s scared he’ll revoke his offer. 

Jacob makes a beeline over to his fridge. Forgoing any formalities. He pulls out a beer and waves one her way. “Want one?”

Her lips twist but she says yes. 

He raises an eyebrow, gives her an out if she wants it. Tries to show that his goal isn’t to get her drunk. He’s not the kind of man, but she’s quiet. Waiting. 

He takes hold of another beer and meanders back over to the couch, handing her one. “Sit.” While he collapses into the cushions she sits gingerly. Hands folded in her lap. She’s not meek—not with that greeting—she’s nervous all of a sudden. 

If he wasn't as old, didn’t have as much experience with women, he might’ve been too. Instead he tosses his arm across the back of the couch and spreads his legs wide. Tabbing open his beer and tossing it back. Revealing the large trunk of his neck as he swallows. 

He knows he’s done a good job when she takes a sharp inhale. 

“You gonna drink that, kid?”

“I’m not—“ she frowns and shakes her head, offended in the cutest of ways, “I’m not a kid.”

He laughs, a hand falling across his stomach. “How old are you?”

“28.”

“A kid.” He finishes, and he only does so to watch her cheeks turn red. She squirms back into the couch, away from him—and his stomach drops because that’s not what he wanted at all. 

Rook meets his eyes dead on and smiles. “You’re a dick.”

The laugh that comes from him this time is real. It’s resounding and guttural, nothing flirtatious about it. 

“Yeah you got that right. But you’re the one who wanted to come inside.” He shrugs before saying, “C’mere, I’m sorry.” He straightens himself, plants both feet on the floor and extends his hand. 

He tries for a smile, something he’s still getting used to. It feels strained, uncomfortable. He’s sure she sees through it. 

But she clasps his hand and giggles. And he—he doesn’t feel an ounce of guilt when he uses his strength and  _ pulls.  _ It does what he wanted, makes her topple almost fully onto his lap. 

Her hand instinctively goes to his chest, eyes widening at the sudden angle change.

“I like you like this,” he murmurs deeply, taking another swing of his beer. A trickle of it runs out of the corner of his lips and without thought he catches it on his index finger. 

“Here,” he holds that finger out to her, “have a taste.”

“Um, I don’t think—“

With her mouth half open he jams his finger inside. There’s an immediate press of teeth. A threat from prey that knows it’s been caught. He smiles, he  _ really  _ likes this one. 

“Go on.” He encourages, hoping that doesn’t prompt her to bite. 

He sighs when she sucks dutifully. Just a slight tug on his finger then she’s pulling away, not willing to go any further. Not like he can blame her, he bets she got more than she bargained for when she waited up for him. 

“Good?” He asks.

“Not my preference,” she shrugs, but she doesn’t move away from him, her hand is still resting on his chest. “It’s strong.”

He holds back a laugh, “right. Okay.”

And despite her insistence of the beer being too much, she does drink the can he previously gave her when he prods about it again. Then she drinks another. And half of a third until even he, two bottles in, puts a hand over hers to stop her. 

“Think you’ve had enough, honey. S’only 3:00. Don’t you got shit to do tomorrow?”

Rook frowns before her eyes go wide and she’s standing up. Muttering curses under her breath. 

“I’ve got work. God, I’m screwed.”

Jacob stays seated, watches as she paces before him. Running her hands through her long hair. Ruffling it, making it frame her face in the most appealing way. “You’ve already got a job? So soon?” 

He’s not an idiot, Jacob hasn’t lost sight of their goal  _ that  _ easily, and he knows that sooner or later he’ll need to learn about Hope’s people. It doesn’t matter if he finds this one cuter than the average country hick, one day in the near future she might be a part of their flock—forced or otherwise. Hell, she might suffer directly from his hand. 

So he pokes. Asks what it is she does because who knows, it might be useful. 

“I’m a deputy. Well...hopefully. I spoke with the sheriff before I got here, but I suppose he could always change his mind.”

“A deputy.” He echoes her words, weighs them carefully and smiles when her back is turned. John had said to make bridges, to get cozy with those in charge. To undermine the whole system. 

This could work. 

“Well then you better be going, huh? Wouldn’t want you to lose your job because of me.” 

“Right...yeah.” 

She presses a hand to her temple and sighs. Something that looks an awful lot like rage bubbling up to the surface. 

He glances out his window and his fingers curl in his jeans. It’s not dark out, hardly. But he knows how dangerous the world is. Even out here when they’re the only people for miles. How easy would it be for someone to set their eyes on the pretty little picture she makes, all drunk and bubbling, and get to work. 

He shouldn’t care, he can’t jump between what his family is going to do to her and how much he likes her. 

He clears his throat to catch her attention, biting at his thumbnail when she turns “You fine walking back?”

“Of course.”

“You sure, honey?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s not far.”

He pauses, frowns. Not convinced. With a groan he stands, stretching his arms above his head. “Go on. I’ll watch ya.” 

She nods slowly before stumbling down his steps with him on her heels. She’s unsteady on her feet, weaving about in a way that makes him a kind of concern he hasn’t felt in a while. 

She does get there eventually though. And he stays there. Watching her house as lights click on and off until she presumably reaches her bedroom and her house goes dark. 

He sighs, crossing his arms against the slight chill the afternoon has brought. 

“Fucking hell. What the hell am I doing?” 

The only answer he gets is a distant wolf howl carried along the wind. 

*****

Jacob watches people. He’s a hunter, it’s in his nature. Thus,  _ naturally,  _ he noticed the visitor that Rook has gotten again and again and again. 

It irks him. He’s spent time with Rook now, once or twice when she comes home from work with hair falling out of her ponytail, dragging her feet and looking dead, he invites her over. He realizes right away that this isn’t for the project or his brothers, he has her inside his house and on his porch throughout the week because he wants her to be there. 

If he could he would stake a claim. Maybe later, when he has more power. Now though, he’s strangely helpless, only able to watch as this man invades the space that is supposed to belong to Jacob. 

He’s not  _ strong.  _ He’s smaller than Jacob by a lot, with dark hair that reaches his shoulders. He’s a player. A dick, some sort of frat boy that just wants to get laid, though that’s coming from whoever John’s sources are. 

Rook deserves better.

She needs him. Someone who can provide for her, not some...some  _ child _ . 

When Jacob asks, John tells him that his name is Staci. Staci Pratt. Fellow deputy, and supposed friend. What hurt most is that Rook doesn’t seem to hate his company. He stays over for hours at a time, sometimes he stays the night. 

It hurts and Jacob doesn’t know why. And he can’t do anything, nothing that he wants to. Because he wants to hurt this man, to get him out of Rook’s life. And they’re not ready yet. Soon though, real soon. They’re gaining new followers each day. Meaning more man power, more people who would willingly give away their lives for his family. 

The church is built, finally, the land they purchased large enough to make a whole compound. Jacob wouldn’t be surprised if Joseph requested all his siblings to move there, to be in one place for safety and convenience. It would keep him up and night, knowing that eventually Rook would be caught in the middle of this with no way out. She’d be trapped and Jacob won’t be able to help her. 

Unless he…

Jacob considers it. Wonders what it would take to convince Joseph. Not much, surely after all he’s done to help his brothers Joseph could at least do this for him. 

It could work. 

Stealing her, making her one of them. It could work. She might hate him at first, maybe she’ll be terrified out of her mind despite knowing him. But she’ll adjust, she’ll be a queen next to him as they grow. One day she’ll be grateful, when Jacob holds reign over Hope’s people and she’s safe beside him. 

It could work. 

Fuck him, but it has to. 


	69. Love Of My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook saves Jacob's life and when he asks her why she says it's because she's in love with him

The love they have is complicated. It was tumultuous from day one and that hasn’t changed. She can’t deny that. But she also can’t deny how right it feels to be next to him. To watch him pour over his work and see his mind spin. To see the intensity that never seems to leave his eyes. He’s perfect and it kills her that he doesn’t see that. 

That he never will. 

Because he’s dying. He’s bleeding out in front of her and she might never get another chance to tell him. Unless she works faster, but she’s hardly a medic. 

“Jacob? Still with me?”

The lack of response is jarring, has her pushing against his side more urgently. Less than thirty seconds ago he was answering her. Cracking petty jokes and telling her to just leave him. That he wasn’t worth it. 

Rook isn’t sure why Jacob never conditioned her to the full extent, why he let her crawl inside the private intimacies of his life and poke at his mind. Maybe he thought she was different. Loyal even. Or important—which is silly now because she couldn’t be any more useless right now. 

“I dunno what to do,” she admits to the empty air. “I didn’t mean this.” She glances up, peering over the mountainside to see the gory mess she left in her wake. Jacob had sounded proud of her as she cut through his men. Actual _pride_ to see his people fall. 

“I’ll help. I’ll try, Jacob.” 

He wouldn’t want her to. That’s what he said, wasn’t it? That she did good, that she earned her kill. He’s Joseph’s sacrifice and he wants to die. 

She won’t let that happen. She fucking won’t. 

Hands slick with blood she dives into her discarded bag. Right then she doesn’t care that she’s dirtying the only extra set of clothes she’s got or that the unwrapped food she haphazardly shoved in there is being tainted. Her medical supplies are at the very bottom—stupid—she realizes that now. Damn stupid of her to do something like that. 

It takes a couple insistent tugs to yank out the ziplock bag full of bandages and creams, but she gets it eventually. 

When she looks back at Jacob she lets a sob slip. Her throat clenches painfully, choking her. The rocks around him are bloody red, his clothes are ruined, dog tags and the key to his bunker lying off to the side. She had the foresight to remove that, didn’t want them to get colored by his blood. She had to keep his things clean for when he wakes up...He’s going to live. Despite how dead he looks now. 

Rook looks up to the sky and sends up a quick prayer before she shuffles forward and gets to work. 

She doesn’t want to cut his army jacket off (he’s going to live, he is) it’s too important to destroy. It’s a struggle to slip it off him. He’s a big man, and he’s a lot to deal with when he’s nothing but  dead weight. 

It’s when she’s taking off his jacket and slicing through his grey shirt underneath, that she sees the radio on his hip. 

“Thank the heavens.” 

Rook doesn’t have her radio, she rushed outside the Wolf Den in a blind rage, scared out of her mind. Trying to think of a way this wouldn’t end terribly for the both of them. She left with her bag and guns. No radio. No means of communication.

Jacob’s smarter though. 

“Hello? Hello, this is deputy Rook, can anyone hear me?” 

She leaves it by her side and gets back to Jacob, knowing full well she wouldn’t be able to sit there and just wait for a response. She swipes at the excess blood only for a new rush of bright red to flow out. It makes her job harder, but she tries. She pours alcohol over the bullet wound before she realizes that maybe she should’ve checked for an exit on the other side. 

She’s not sure she has that kind of time. 

Her hands are dirty, she’s putting dirt into his open wound. If he were awake he’d chastise her for her mistake. 

She unravels a roll of gauze, of padded bandages that she slaps over the hole. It practically sticks to his skin with how bloody he is. 

“Should I stitch it?” Rook pauses, hands clenching and unclenching. “I dunno if it’s deep enough for that.” She’s not a medic at all, she can hardly treat her own injuries, not once has she treated herself when she gets shot. She tries to remember what Grace had done to clean her up last time. Months ago it feels like. 

Grace stitched it. Pulled out bullet fragments, too. Then she bandaged it. And she was able to give Rook blood—her luck that Grace was a universal donor. 

Rook’s fucked this up. 

“Deputy?”

_ John.  _

“Yes!” Her hands go to her radio, she picks it up and cradles it close to her face as she falls back on her ass. “John, please, please I need help.”

“Oh deputy, I never thought I’d see the day. It must be a real hit to your pride if you—“

“Jacob. It’s Jacob.”

There’s a brief pause where she can hear John’s faint breathing. How it goes sharp. Suspicious. 

“What about Jacob?”

She whimpers. Clutching her head as she looks at Jacob again. His chest is moving, that’s a good sign. But she doesn’t see it staying that way. 

“He’s dying. He got shot.” She winces, tears forming, “I shot him. John, please.”

He laughs, then there’s a creak of a chair as he moves. “You could be lying.”

“Do you want to take that chance?” 

She doesn’t. If she were him she knows what she’d do. 

It’s a small blessing when he doesn’t ask why she’d be helping his brother. She doesn’t think she’d be able to explain the why of it all. She hasn’t ever said aloud how much she loves Jacob—she wouldn’t be able to say that to John. 

Instead he only asks where she is, and only because she knows John is a seasoned pilot, she feels confident in rattling off their coordinates. 

Five minutes. That’s all it takes. In that time she folds up his jacket and curls his dog tags around her fist. The key stays, it’s not hers to take or to look after. 

She hears the helicopter long before she sees it. And when it lands behind her she trembles. Flinches from the wind that kicks up around her and makes her clothes billow and flutter. Her hand goes to Jacob’s cheek as she rises up on her knees to kiss his forehead. 

“Hang on for me.” 

Rook pulls back when she hears John’s rushing footsteps. He stops short of them and curses. Everything moves fast after that. She sees a part of John she never even knew existed. He’s barking orders, telling his men what to do and where to go. Calm and collected as any leader should be. He leaves her be, doesn’t acknowledge her, and she doesn’t know how she fits in here. Sitting on the cold ground holding Jacob’s valuables. They’re held tight to her chest, she’s crushing them in a hug. 

“Are you coming?”

She looks up, mouth opening and closing repeatedly. Not quite understanding. He wouldn’t...he’s got no reason to. And yet...

“We need to go now,” John insists, “are you coming?” He’s bouncing on his toes, panic finally seeping through. 

“Yes.” 

*****

Jacob’s body is alight with pain. It’s nothing he’s not used to. Every day it’s a new scrape or wound, another taut muscle reminding him of his age. This is different though, this is the kind of pain he hasn’t felt in a while. One that tells him he needs to open his eyes and  _ run.  _

It takes him a few tries but eventually he gets it. He opens his eyes just a tad, letting in the tiniest slip of light. The intensity hurts, makes tears form that he doesn’t want to drop. He tries to bring up his hand to wipe them away, but something stops him. 

Someone. 

“You’re awake.”

It’s not one of his brothers. That’s the first thing he realizes. The voice is soft, has the quiet cadence that he would only associate with Joseph in this war torn county. But their pitch is all off. So’s their hand, smaller and smoother than Joseph’s. 

“Jacob? You can—can you hear me?” 

He goes still and cracks open his eye fully despite the pain. He’s gotta see just who is here with him when he should be dead. Because he doesn’t remember everything that happened before now, but he can’t forget that overwhelming feeling that it was all over. That Rook had torn through him and that she was now headed for John or Faith. 

And he sees her. 

He isn’t scared per se, he doesn’t think he has it in him to be afraid for himself. Not after everything he’s been through. No one can hurt him worse than he’s been hurt before, and if someone—and he knows people do—wants to kill him, then he’d be more saddened than anything. He’d like to see Joseph’s prophecy come true just so his brother can rest easy at night knowing he hasn’t failed God. He’d like to see John grow out of his insecurities one day, maybe settle down and get married like he confessed one night that he’s always wanted. 

He’s not scared when he sees Rook standing beside him. He’s confused though when she falls down onto the floor and buries her head into the blankets. Very white blankets, he notices. Clinical. Then it hits him, right, he almost died. Really he should be dead. 

Jacob doesn’t need to ask what happened. It was only him and her out on that mountain. 

“Deputy.” He hates how small his voice sounds. Like he’s been strangled. He clears his throat and tries again when she doesn’t move, doesn’t even bother to acknowledge him. “Deputy, look at me.” 

Her hand tightens on top of his before he acquises and gazes up. “Yeah?”

“Why’d you save me? You earned your kill.” 

“You still—“ she breaks off and frowns. Her voice rises when she speaks next, wrath showing. “You still think I’d be able to do something like that? All the shit we’ve done, it might’ve been nothing to you...but I felt something.”

Jacob blinks wearily at her, never good with emotions. The only love he’s felt in a long while is the fierce protectiveness that can only come from being an older brother. Then Rook came along and she had to be different, she had to somehow understand how to worm her way inside his head and make him aware that he had emotions outside of rage. 

She’s special. Joseph told him that he’d be stupid to let her go. He didn’t understand it at the time, he yelled at Joseph, told him that this woman would be his downfall, that he’s the stupid one for wanting her alive. 

Now though...well he owes Joseph an apology. 

“Jacob...God don’t make me spell it out.”

He’s an idiot. And a pain in the ass. So he tries for a crooked smile and laughs—it hurts. “Spell what out?” He wants to hear her say it. He needs to. 

“I love you.”

It feels like a punch to the gut, but Jacob knows she doesn’t mean to hurt him. She would never. 

“Did you hear me?” She shuffled forward until she can rest her cheek against his hand. 

“Yeah…” he laughs, head tipping back on the mountain of pillows behind him. “I heard ya.”

“Do you have anything to say?”

Jacob rolls his head to the side to see her properly. His lips twitch as he watches her squirm. “Hmm, I dunno.”

Rook seems like she’s about to storm out, or maybe cry, he’s not sure, but then he sees it all click inside her head—that he’s joking—Jacob Seed is  _ joking around with her,  _ and she laughs. 

“I really do love you, Jacob. I do.”

“I...I think I love you too. It’s been awhile, but I guess that’s what this feeling is, huh? I love you.”


	70. Pet Play pt 2 (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pratt has been good lately and Jacob decides he deserves a treat

“C’mere, boy. I’ve got a treat for you.” 

Pratt is stiff when he rolls over. Stretching out his limbs and setting his eyes on Jacob. He wet his chapped lips the best he can, scanning the room. Looking around Jacob. Trying to find evidence of an actual gift, hoping this isn’t just another one of his tricks. Something meant to trip Staci up.

“Well? D’you want it?” Jacob’s half bent over, hands on his knees with a tipped head to look at Staci properly from his spot on the floor. 

He swallows, wincing at the burn. “No, no wait. I do. I want it.” He’s smart enough not to immediately climb to his feet. The wood is rough on his bare knees when he crawls over. He watches Jacob wearily as he sits down, spreading his legs wide. He’s spent too long in Jacob’s care to be ashamed of his nakedness, or the jangling collar that’s been shackled tight around his neck. 

When he reaches Jacob he falls back on his haunches, hands dangling loosely between his legs. He keeps his expression schooled into a mask of boredom. Though they both know how anxious Pratt is. 

“You said something about a treat?” Staci asks hesitantly, reaching out to steady himself on the cusp of Jacob’s knee. 

“Yeah, now you’re interested,” Jacob mumbles, reaching behind him. He pulls out a flask and wiggles it, holding it out expectantly. It takes a moment before Staci gets it and he finally grasps the flask and uncorks it. It’s not often that Jacob gives him this much control—drinking by himself is a privilege. Not having Jacob’s hand on the back of his head as he pushes the flask to his lips is a strange feeling. 

He isn’t going to question what’s made Jacob so nice today, it could be a number of things. He’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

Staci closes his eyes when Jacob cards a hand through his hair. Scratching at his scalp in a way that makes him groan appreciatively as he finishes the last of the water. 

“Got something else if you’re up to it.” 

Pratt blinks at Jacob, he knows this game. How easy it is to get twisted up within his ropes and fucked over. 

“Yes, sir.” 

Jacob smiles and it’s wide. Real. “Wonderful.” He reaches behind him again and this time he produces a radio. The sight of it makes Pratt tremble. Jacob’s used it once before. When Staci made the foolish attempt to escape and brought a stray radio with him. Hoping he’d be able to call for help. He didn’t think of the possibility of Jacob playing his special song through it. This time though Jacob just pushes the button on the side. 

“You can bring her up now.”

Jacob’s hand is still loose in Pratt’s hair. Massaging his head soothingly until his neck goes limp and he rests his cheek against Jacob’s inner thigh. It’s comfortable like this, when Jacob isn’t speaking, when nothing is expected of Staci. 

It’s a short lived moment. 

The door opens with a click and he doesn’t look up. No need to, tons of people walk in and out of Jacob’s office everyday. They’ve all seen that he’s Jacob’s bitch, hell, even Joseph knows. It’s the worst kept secret in the mountains. 

It’s when he hears her voice that he startles. Making Jacob’s thick finger loop through his collar to keep him in place. 

“Deputy Rook, you’re holding up nicely, huh?” 

Rook stands there, flinching when the door slams behind her. Trapping her in. She doesn’t look down at Staci, focused solely on Jacob—the predator here—but it’s impossible for her to not see him. 

“You and Pratt are friends, yeah?” 

Staci frowns at that, watching a myriad of emotions play out across her face. She’s good at hiding her emotions, almost as good as Jacob, but that caught her off guard. 

She nods slowly. But it’s confident. “Yeah. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“Right. Right.” Jacob’s finger slips out of Pratt’s collar, going to tap against his jaw instead. Running through his ginger beard as he regards Rook. “But I think he feels something a little more.” Jacob jabs a finger in Staci’s direction, making him wither under Rook’s piercing stare. 

Jacob stands, rising to his full height—which never ceases to amaze Staci. Even more so when he’s on hands and knees.

Rook leans back when Jacob walks closer, invading her personal space. In one swift movement he grabs the back of her neck, jostling her. 

“You gonna be good for me today? Or am I gonna have to tie you up?” 

Rook regards both of them. “Depends.”

“On?” Jacob cocks his head to the side. Amusement dancing in his eyes. 

“If you hurt him I can’t promise I won’t go for your jugular.”

That makes Jacob laugh. It’s not cruel, like Staci’s used to, when he fucks something up or starts shaking out of fear and Jacob seems to think it’s the funniest thing in the world. It’s sincere, as if Jacob actually enjoys Rook’s company. Something like envy swirls in his gut. 

“Cute of you to think you’d be able to.” He tightens his hold on the back of her neck, making her gasp and flinch. “I’ll use some rope, just in case.” He glances over his shoulder at Staci. “I wouldn’t want you to ruin his treat. Been a while since he got one, it’d be a shame for him to lose it.” 

Jacob has ropes in his desk because it’s  _ Jacob _ and of course he does. He shoves Rook down to the floor, and she has no choice but to follow, she’s weak right now. Starved and dehydrated. 

He steps back to examine his handiwork, of her tied up without an inch of room. He whistles softly, “you make quite a sight,” he circles around her slowly. The thudding of his boots foreboding. “No wonder John’s so infatuated with you.”

Staci makes a wounded noise in the back of his throat to draw Jacob’s attention. He glances Staci’s way and chuckles, finally coming to stop in front of him. 

“What’s the matter pup?” He kneels down, grabbing his collar and yanking him up, chest to chest. “Are you feeling neglected?” 

Pratt’s lip twitches, painfully aware of Rook staring at them. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Well then let’s change that.” 

He drags Staci along, tossing him across his desk. His hip bones collide painfully against the wood, making him grit his teeth to stop from crying out. 

“You still got it in?” Jacob tugs Staci’s dirty pants down, fingers squeezing his waist painfully when he doesn’t answer. “Peaches?” 

Jacob knows he wouldn’t take it out, he wouldn’t dare. He’d done so once before only to be met with torture and punishment beyond what he thought possible. 

His underwear comes down next, exposing his ass to the cool air of Jacob’s office. Revealing the plug Jacob worked inside of him the week prior. 

“Good boy,” Jacob praises, spreading his cheeks approvingly. Jacob taps the plug, jostling it inside him. He tugs on it carefully, going slow, and Staci knows that he’s just trying to get a reaction. 

He gives it to him. It’s Jacob. His master. He has to give him something. So he moans when the plug finally slips all the way out. 

“You look ready.” Jacob circles his hole with his finger, humming in thought when it twitches with anticipation. “You ready for your treat, Peaches?”

He buries his head further in the desk with a shaky sigh. “Yes, sir.” 

Jacob pushes in. Moves up to the second knuckle and steals the breath away from him. He crooks his finger up, searching until Staci let’s out a gentle moan that could’ve easily been an exhale. 

“Ahh, there we are, pup.” The first finger fits in loosely and so he adds a second. It’s tight, a pleasant burn. He clenches around Jacob’s fingers, sucking them further inside. “Does it feel good?” Jacob leans down, pressing his body on top of Staci’s.

“Y-yes, Jacob.”

He scissors his fingers out. “What’d you call me? Jacob?” He jams further inside Staci, stabbing against his prostate painfully. “That’s not what I want.”

“Yessir. Sorry, sir.”

Jacob rewards him with sharp bites on his shoulders and along the back of his neck. Staci’s fully aware that there’ll be bruises in the morning. He’ll trail along behind Jacob tomorrow and his soldiers will see what Staci is. It’s almost as horrifying as knowing that Rook  _ knows.  _

Rook’s quiet, not like she’d be able to say anything in this situation. It makes it worse that Jacob isn’t forcing him, that it’s obvious that Pratt wants this. Craves it even. Jacob’s told him time and time again that he’ll never give Staci the comfort of calling this rape. He won’t have the luxury of painting Jacob to be more of a monster than he already is. Whatever Jacob does, Staci will want it. 

And he wants this. He wants it so fucking bad. 

Staci tenses when Jacob twists his fingers around, teasing a third digit around his rim. He doesn’t realize he tenses until Jacob pets through his hair. Kissing him sweetly to soothe. 

“Relax, Peaches. This isn’t our first time.” He says it loud enough for Rook to hear, the bastard. 

Pratt tries to take Jacob’s advice, aware that Jacob will work away at his hole until he deems him ready, and he doesn’t want to draw this out. Not with Rook in the room. Even if Staci likes her—not like that. Never like that. 

Jacob spreads his finger wide before he pulls out completely, standing up and drawing away from Pratt’s back. Letting him breathe. Staci’s fingers scratch against the wood of the desk, scared when he hears the zip go down on Jacob’s pants but not the ripping of a condom wrapper. 

He’s going to cum inside him. 

“Sir…”

“I’m getting there, pup.” 

Jacob chucks off his jeans and boxers, tossing them across the room. He pauses though, a hand lingering on Pratt’s hip. 

“You doing alright, Rook?” 

Rook makes a strangled sound, angry maybe. He’s not sure, he doesn’t know her well enough. She’s still the damn probie and yet she’s staring Jacob head on and he’s become Jacob’s bitch. 

“Good girl,” Jacob rumbles out, and even though the praise isn’t meant for Staci, warmth coils inside his gut. 

Jacob walks around his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a bottle of lube that Staci knows is almost gone. The position he’s in, bent over Jacob’s desk, makes the view he has amazing. He’s staring right at Jacob’s dick. He’s fully hard, the length of him curving slightly to the right, towards Staci. 

Jacob laughs, snapping his fingers in front of Pratt’s face to get his attention. “You can suck me off another time, pup. I’ve got plans to fuck you right now.” 

Pratt drops his head down with a groan, hips wiggling when Jacob rounds back and taps his ass cheek playfully. 

Jacob pops the lid off the lube and squirts a generous amount in his hand. Jacob coats his cock with it, tugging his erection with a gentle sigh before pushing some lube around Pratt’s hole. 

Jacob’s got one hand on Pratt’s hip, the other holding his cock. Guiding it past the swell of his cheeks to his rim. He goes slow when he tries to breach him. It’s not a surprise. He always goes slow. Jacob’s nothing but a warm, hard presence as he presses in until his cockhead pops inside. He should be used to it, but he still tenses. Hands going flat on the desk and pushing up, arching his back. 

“You’re doing good,” Jacob confirms in a soft whisper, “look at you taking it.” Jacob pushes in further as he says it, and it’s a bit much. Too much. Jacob knows he likes it though. 

“You’re a perfect pet, huh?” 

“For you, sir.” 

It’s a promise. One that makes Jacob smile with nothing but sharp teeth. 

The pace he sets isn’t too fast, not too rough. Just a steady thrusting that jostles him forward, driving his hips and stomach into the wood. The way he’s arched at least ensures that his cock isn’t trapped. 

There’s a nice burn as Jacob slides in and out, the kind he’s come to associate with Jacob. 

“You’re made for this,” Jacob tells him, moving to cup his neck and drag him further up. Up until Pratt’s back is against Jacob’s chest. “I think we found your purpose.” He glances at Rook and winks, “kinda different from what I’ve planned for you. I bet you could take it though.” 

Rook makes another sound in the back of her throat, something between a cough and a whine. The idea of Jacob taking Rook, making such a wild woman submit, it makes him harder. 

“I don’t think you’d like sharing though, Peaches.” Jacob slams harder into Pratt, hand falling away from his neck to wrap around his slim waist. 

Jacob’s other hand drops down, dragging blunt nails against his stomach until he reaches his cock. He doesn’t waste any time grabbing a hold of him and pumping his dick in tune with his thrusts. 

He comes seconds before Jacob, so lost in the haze of his orgasm that he hardly notices Jacob emptying his load inside his ass. 

He definitely feels it when Jacob lets go of him and he goes boneless, falling on the desk. Jacob’s dick is gone too soon, leaving him empty and dripping. 

Pratt lets himself fall for the floor, glazed eyes looking up at Jacob as he grabs at his boxers and tugs them up. He doesn’t bother with his jeans, proud of his body apparently. Not embarrassed when he crouches down to cut Rook’s bonds and she gets one last eyeful. 

“You were such a good sport.” Jacob pets at her hair, the same way he does with Staci. He smiles sweetly at her, leaning in closer and whispering something Staci can’t make out. 

He lets one of his soldiers lead Rook out, calling out after him to give her food and water before the night ends. It’s a hefty reward coming from Jacob. Even Staci knows that. 

He’s still limp on the floor, eyes closing and opening. Trying to track Jacob. He knocks his foot against Staci’s calf, jerking with his head back to the mattress on the floor that’s become his bed. 

“Go on and rest. You’ve been really good lately. Keep it up.” 

The praise makes him heady with want. He wants to show Jacob he’s deserving. That he’s thankful for not being killed and sacrificed. Instead he crawls back over to his bed, curling up and watching Jacob sit back down to get back to work as if nothing had happened. 

It’d bother Staci more if he wasn’t used to. This is just life now. He’s living in Jacob’s world, and he should learn to be grateful for that. 


	71. Hacking

This isn’t her best idea, per se, but running on such little sleep where meals are few and far between will do something to a girl’s mind. Jacob only has himself to blame for what’s about to happen. Which she’ll be sure to tell him when he inevitably catches her. 

She has no doubt that he will, it was hard enough sneaking into the Veteran’s Center, she’s sure that she only got this far from luck. And luck runs out, she’s learned that before. 

Hell, Rook isn’t even too sure this is where she’s meant to be. It would make sense, she couldn’t quite come up with a worthy explanation as for where the broadcasts were streaming from besides the Vet Center. He wouldn’t choose any old outpost, that’d be too risky. Especially will the rampage she’s been on lately. 

If she wants to hack his channel of never ending speeches on Darwinism, then this seems like the place. If it’s not and she gets caught then she can easily explain away her presence with the foolish task of rescuing Staci. 

Jacob will believe it. 

But she’s not captured yet, she’s evaded his men for now. Only killing one Peggie, which is good in her book, kill too many and people will start to notice that they’re short staffed all of a sudden. 

Getting inside the Center, past the doors, is a different feat. The front door isn’t an option, she can see lights on inside and she can hear the din of people speaking. She doesn’t want any of Jacob’s prisoners to see her either, they’re apt to spill the beans, whether they mean to or not. 

Scaling the side of the building would have to do. There’s a single balcony in her sights, and that’s what she spends the next half hour trying to get to. The bricks don’t have too many footholds, and the sparse vines aren’t strong enough to hold her weight. 

Occasionally she gets bold enough to jab her knife into the bricks, it doesn’t get very deep, but when she moves fast enough she manages to get a few more inches up the side of the building. 

She’s painfully aware that she’s visible. If someone happened to look up, or if they were far enough away, they’d see her. That puts a little more speed into her movements. It makes her sloppy, and she’s sure that she can hear Jacob’s displeasure in the back of her head. Telling her to try again, to move faster, that she needs to keep going until she gets it right. 

It’s the conditioning, she knows, which scares her endlessly. So this is the perfect payback she thinks. 

Blessedly she makes it. Somehow. 

She throws a leg up over the wood of the balcony, wincing when it creaks under her weight. Her hands scramble to pull herself over and she lands none too gracefully. There’s a dull thump as she hits the concrete floor and she has to pause for a few minutes just to listen. Making sure no ones on their way. 

When no one makes an appearance she stands on shaky feet and does a quick scope of the room she’s in. 

She wishes she had more time until sunrise to make sense of what she’s seeing, because as she steps further into the room she sees scattered papers and envelopes on a desk with pictures of people she’s seen in these mountains. To the right of that is a cork board that’s just as worrying. There are scribbled notes that are little more than chicken scratch. With pictures of Eli and Tammy and Wheaty and...herself. That one has a slew of notes beside it. And she wonders if the rumors she heard back in the Valley are true. If John really does background checks on anyone who steps foot into Hope. 

Not for the first time she regrets not killing John. 

With a heavy heart she retreats. Eases open the door and scampers out into the hallway when she doesn’t see anyone. 

It’s hard not to feel like some sort of spy or movie protagonist as she creeps through the empty halls. Leaning against corners and peering around them before continuing on. Now she just needs to find the control center. If it’s here. It might not be. That’s still a possibility. 

“Jacob, sir?”

_ Oh.  _

_ Oh shit.  _

Rook stops walking, head flicking side to side, as if there will suddenly be an exit to escape out of. She hadn’t even heard anyone approaching, especially not Jacob himself. 

“What is it?”

“The group you sent out last night wants to report back to you on where the Wolf’s Den is.”

There’s a short pause, one that Rook takes advantage of by easing open a door to her right and stepping inside. She’d love to listen to Jacob’s conversation if only to make sure that he hasn’t found the Whitetail’s base, but Eli has told her time and time again not to go and get hurt. That she’s their best shot right now. 

She has her back to the door, hand staying on the handle as if she’d be able to keep someone from breaking it down. 

It takes a while until her eyes adjust to the dark, but when it does she can’t believe her luck. Either that or there’s someone up in the sky looking out for her. 

There’s a map directly in front of her. Just lying on a desk. It’s not digital because this is Joseph’s cult and technology is man’s downfall, but it does wonders. 

It’s a drawn out blueprint of sorts. Showing additions to the land that hasn’t been made yet as well as which rooms are which. 

Control room. 

Right there. Two hallways back the way she came. She can make it. 

With a soft unbelieving laugh she darts back to the door, pressing her ear against it in wait. Holding her breath when she immediately hears voices. 

“So you wasted my time?” 

“Sir I—“

“Why would I want to hear about the lack of what you found? Was that worth my five minutes when I was supposed to be doing something else?”

The lack of...they didn’t find the Wolf’s Den. She can walk around a little bit easier knowing that a siege isn’t in place right now. 

“I—uh, no sir.”

“I’m glad we both agree. You’re dismissed.”

“Yessir.” 

There’s the careful sound of retreating footsteps, and she assumes Jacob must be watching his soldier leave because it takes another few seconds until Jacob is gone. Sounding as if he’s walking in the direction she needs to go. 

Which is fine so long as whatever Jacob had been planning on doing doesn’t involve where she’s going. 

She counts to two hundred in her head, coming out slowly before she’s rushing down the halls. Stopping at a door with a metal plate fixed to the wall that confirms this is where she wants to be. Rook doesn’t think before she flings open the door and steps inside, breathing out a sigh of relief when no one’s inside. 

It’s much more complicated than she had assumed or had ever hoped for. She wasn’t actually too sure what she’s looking at. There are screens, dozens of them, all shining and blinking, showing...a broadcast? She remembers the few TVs she came across in the past weeks that weren’t broken and smashed in. One’s that miraculously worked. John’s advertisement stuck in her mind if only because it featured Hudson, runny mascara and fearful eyes. Hands tied and mouth bound crudely with tape. She can still see how Hudson flinched when John wrapped a hand around her throat. She can still hear how angry Hudson was when Rook returned from the dogfight and she said that she hadn’t killed John. 

She wondered if Staci would feel the same way.

Jacob’s no saint, he’s a monster the same as Jonn, he has his own brand of crazy though. The televised broadcasts he shows are different. Less production value, less planned out. She’s seen one before, where he’s addressing his soldiers and sitting uncomfortably close to the camera. Scars on display without an ounce of shame. The message was foreboding, and she always put a bullet through whatever screen was displaying it at the time.

What she plans to show to the people in the mountains is much more fitting. A small homage to her life before all this shit, back when social media was still a part of her life. Namely Vine. She misses when everyone around her knew what Vine was, when she could quote a Vine and get a mixed reaction of groans and laughter. Or that special case when someone would finish the quote with her and they’d both dissolve into fits of laughter.

No one understands and really it’s a damn shame because she has the most  _ perfect  _ vine that describes Jacob to a ‘T.’

All she has to do is share it with everyone. 

Her hands skimmed the controls, unsure as to where to start. She took one class in high school about computer coding, but this was more high tech. She bent down, fingers hovering over a keyboard. She grabbed a hold of the mouse beside it and clicked around on the screen where Jacob’s face was soundlessly playing over and over on an endless loop. With bated breath she clicked on the little red X at the top of the screen and almost laughed when it disappeared. No password needed, no alarm, no kind of security check. It’s gone. 

She fished out the flashdrive from her pocket, knowing that eventually someone will notice that Jacob’s video is gone and will inform the man himself. 

It didn’t take her long to find a place to stick the USB, and the computer didn’t seem adverse to allowing her access. There’s only one video on the thing--really it was a miracle she found a working USB in the first place--and upon double clicking it, it opened up flawlessly. 

She knows this Vine to heart by now, it’s a classic. But she must, absolutely must watch it this once, before her inevitable capture.

The kid that appears on screen can’t be anymore than 18, he’s got this whole emo look going on that lends itself to what’s about to be said. She isn’t sure about the origin of the video, but that doesn’t make it any less funny.

_ “On all levels but physical, I am a wolf.”  _ The boy tips his head to the side at the end of his sentence, a smile quirking his lips up. The camera cuts and it shows the same boy standing at a pier, holding onto the metal railing before he leans slightly forward and barks. 

If it doesn’t suit Jacob, the acclaimed mountain man with a strange obsession for wolves, she doesn’t know what would.

She waits a couple minutes, realizing with blinding clarity that she just might be able to get out of here. Her heart is racing with the knowledge of what she’s done. She cracks open the door, twisting her head around and finally stepping out into the open.

The normal sound of the Center continues to go on as she makes her way back to where she came in from. No one knows, no one might not know for at least a day. It’s going to be agony waiting, but she’s learned to be patient, at least marginally so. 

Scaling back down the building is painful. Literally. She skins her palms and knees, her finger twists at one point, bending so far back she has to suppress a scream at the sight. She manages to hit the ground eventually where she lets herself fall to have some sort of breather.

It’s much easier running out past the gates during the guards shift change. She disappears into the woods, running until she can’t possibly run anymore. When her legs give out and her lungs burn, threatening to burst. 

Rook considers calling Eli, having someone bask in her glory, but she suspects that in the next 24 hours Jacob is going to be real mad, so she hightails it out of the mountains without a word to anyone.

*****

It’s such a rude way to be woken up, but Jacob has never been known for his hospitality. 

But this? A sneak attack when she’s so vulnerable? It’s low even for him. She tells him so when she’s running for her life, panting heavily over her radio. 

He laughs at her, “honey war is hardly ever fair, thought you would’ve learned that by now.”

She wants to hide somewhere, but it seems too risky. He might have wolves with him, an entire army chasing her, she might not have enough distance to take cover behind a felled tree. 

“Can’t blame you though, can I?” 

He doesn’t sound out of breath, like he isn’t chasing her at all, but someone is. Bullets are embedding into trees and around her feet still. Making her trip and fall in a stream. 

She scrambles to stand, throwing a crazed glance and seeing no one.

“It’s not your fault. You aren’t a soldier yet. You haven’t spent enough time with me, but you will. Right now you’re nothing more than a tool without a master, no purpose.”

Rook can’t run for much longer. And she certainly can’t fight. She didn’t have time to grab her bag—all her weapons left back in the cabin she hunkered down in for the night. 

She wants to give in, but that’s her pride. Her sin that John has been trying to uncover. 

“I can fix you, honey. Just come to me, I’m not mad. You were trying to get my attention, that’s all. I left you alone for too long and you got bored. Restless. If you wanted me to speed things up you just had to ask. Let me help you, deputy.”

She finally chooses to dive into a shallow ditch. Her clothes are slightly wet from tripping earlier and she has to grind her teeth together to stop her shivering. 

Her back is pressed against the solid wall of rock and mud. It won’t protect her for long, especially if Jacob is chasing her, he’s a good hunter. 

“You think you’re funny,” he laughs, the radio distorting it with its interference. “Changing my broadcast, poking fun. You’re a child, but I can fix you. Don’t prolong the hunt, honey, you’re only hurting yourself.” 

She quiets her breathing the best she can. She finds a stick, long and thick and hopefully able to bring a man to his knees. 

Rook holds it to her chest, head tipping back as she listens for the sound of someone approaching. There’s nothing, not even the earlier sounds of bullets pinging around her. It’s as if he called off his men, as if he wants this last blow to take her down. 

She doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction. 

“I bet you’re scared, huh? Just come on out, I told you I’m not mad. We gotta correct this behavior, that’s all.” 

She’s shaking now, and the realization hits her that she’s an idiot. She clicks her radio off, knowing how well it carries. That if she had been smart she would’ve answered just to hear if he were close. 

Instead she fucked up. Her luck is gone for good. 

“Gotcha.”

His voice is too close, right in the shell of her ear. And despite everything she’s been through she jumps with a yelp. She doesn’t have time to swing the stick, it’s being pulled out of her hands and thrown to somewhere she can’t see. 

She falls into his chest, and all too quickly he gathers her up into his arms and there’s no escape. She tries to hurt him, but she’s trapped. 

“Easy there, sweetheart. It’s time to come home.” 


	72. Flirtatious pt 2

“You called me, interrupted my busy afternoon, all because you couldn’t avoid her advances?” John snorts, head dipping in some fake attempt to hide his blooming smile. When he looks back up there’s amusement dancing in his eyes. “You’ve lost your touch with women.”

John’s steadily advancing on him, near rounding his desk just to gloat. To taunt and prod at the sensitivities lying beneath Jacob’s skin.

“Good thing I’m here, hm?” John tugs at the lapels of his jacket, looking down at himself before he also fixes the cuffs. He gestures towards the door flippantly. “Lead the way brother, I’ll set her straight for you.” 

John is blessedly quiet as Jacob guides him through the winding halls, he stays a step behind, the heels of his neatly polished shoes reverberating off the walls. 

Having John with him has its perks from time to time and Jacob usually doesn’t mind his company either. But he’s starting to regret his decision. He thought he needed John’s technique, someone who she isn’t trying to fuck to show Rook some real pain and knock some sense into her. But maybe he should’ve put a bullet between her eyes instead. Joseph would understand. Maybe. 

  
“In here,” Jacob pulls the ringlet of keys out of his pocket with a huff, his muscles are already tense. Something that doesn’t escape John’s notice. His younger brother laughs, bouncing on his feet in anticipation.

“I don’t think I have ever seen you so nervous.”

“You weren’t there,” Jacob grits out, shoving open the door unceremoniously and letting John step inside before him.

Rook is exactly where he left her, tied up and immobile. With the exception that she’s alone this time around. He would gladly run her through her trial, but he isn’t naive. He saw how she reacted to his praise when he captured her the first time. How her knees buckled and her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head. She had been excited. So readily throwing herself into the line of fire just to hear him croon out soft words of encouragement. He’s not sure he’d be able to go through that again, it left his mind fuzzy when it was all over. 

“Well hello there, my dear. Glad to see Jacob’s treating you nicely.”

Rook had raised her head the moment the door opened, and upon seeing John she grows sour. Eyes narrowing. She squirms, tugging fruitlessly at the leather cuffs around her limbs. She shoots Jacob a deadly stare where he lingers in the doorway behind John. “I thought you were joking about calling him.”

Jacob grunts, “since when do I ever joke, deputy?”

She tips her head in acknowledgment but says nothing.

John glances back as Jacob shuts the door and steps fully inside. They hadn’t discussed what John’s method should be, but he had a feeling Jacob assumed he’d take her flirting in stride. That he’d redirect and distract, threaten probably.

“Rook, darling,” John murmurs, stepping closer and ignoring the blood that catches on the tips of his shoes. “I’m hurt that you don’t seem excited to see me.” 

“Should I be?”

He smiles, it’s tight and real. He thought he made his attraction very apparent. “I would hope so, I thought you enjoyed our time together.”

“You drowned me,” she deadpans, pursing her lips when John merely chuckles.

“And Jacob is conditioning you. Starving you, depriving you of your basic needs. What’s a little lack of oxygen? You know I’d never kill you, Jacob on the other hand...” Here he looks back at his brother for effect, getting what he wants when he finds Jacob leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, looking uninterested in their conversation.

“Yeah but...I mean look at him.” Rook leans forward—as much as she can—she smiles wolfishly. 

John’s eyebrows knit together. “I, uh…”

“He’s  _ big,”  _ she breathes out, eyes going half lidded. “He could just toss me around so easily.” Her words end in a moan and her squirming starts back up. “He just ticks every fucking box.”

John frowns, seemingly affronted. “And I don’t?” He laughs, arms spreading wide as if to showcase what he has. Which, in Rook’s eyes, isn’t much.

She ignores him completely, eyes shifting back to Jacob. “You said something before about stringing me up, hurting me. Are we still on for that? Because I’d let you,” she bites her lip in thought. “Fuck I’d love that…”

John recovers easily, fingers covering his heart as he hopes to gain her attention. “Oh, darling if you want pain, then you should have told me. I’d be more than glad to deliver. That’s what confession is about, the road to atonement is covered in blood.” He waits for her response, overeager and nearly salivating. 

When there isn’t an immediate answer Jacob steps up and finds his voice. Exaspération taking hold once more. “You like pain, deputy?” He doesn’t move from where he’s stood, he doesn’t trust what she’ll do if he gets closer. 

“Yes. From you, I’ll take anything. Christ just run me through your trials, I wanna make you  _ proud. _ I’ll let you bend me over and tie me up, fuck me for the whole goddamn county to see, just to teach everyone a lesson.” She juts her lower lip out, leaning forward so that from John’s angle he can just barely see the bruises he left on her. When he told her of his jaded past and she ran from him. He finally had her, was able to touch her and wrap his hands around her throat to see her eyes go wide in panic. 

And now she’s here. Wearing a high throated jacket to hide the evidence of his mark and slip into his brother’s bed.

John’s fists curl, a sneer on his face. “I’m afraid my brother isn’t interested—“

“Oh c’mon, like he isn’t affected. I bet he’s got needs just like any other man, needs that none of his lackeys can fill. Just let me go, let me show you what I can do.” 

Jacob snorts and John knows his brother is going to refuse just from the nasty gleam in his eyes, but John, oh John has never heard a more wonderful idea. 

“Why not,” he says, and absolutely ignores Jacob’s piercing glare. 

Her bonds come undone and she squirms, eyes glancing at where John is knelt on the floor in front of her. He’s smiling expectantly, and she has a feeling she’s going to disappoint him. 

She wiggles her fingers and stretches her legs out with a sigh. Muttering something that sounds like “fucking finally.” 

Rook stands carefully, she’s not stupid, she knows she doesn’t have the upper hand. But she also knows that Jacob isn’t looking to kill her, he won’t use the knife strapped to his thigh to end her life. 

She passes John, steps around him when he stands. He grits his teeth, eyes shooting daggers at Jacob. To his brother's credit though, he doesn’t look happy about these turn of events, just as upset as John is. 

Jacob presses himself into a corner, as if he’s dealing with someone dangerous. Which, in a way, he is. But John is positive Rook has no intention to kill him like she should. And her wandering hands prove that. 

“C’mon, Jacob, you can’t tell me you  _ don’t _ want to fuck me.” 

“That sounds like pride,” John mutters, stalking closer. 

She ignores him, leaning into Jacob as her fingers trail over his broad chest. “All those times you spoke to me over the radio, the threats you made...you want me just as badly as I want you.” 

“Rook—“

John grabs her from behind, taking her arms and wrenching them backwards at an angle that makes her yelp. 

He tugs her back into his chest, chin hooking over her shoulder. She snarls, teeth snapping out of annoyance. Yet she’s still looking at Jacob. 

“Jacob, please—“

“No, just…shut up, Rook.” Jacob pinches the bridge of his nose, “take her, John. Keep her under lock and key,  _ please.”  _

Her refusal mingles with John’s easy agreeance. He’s more than eager, and that’s shown with how quickly he yanks her along. Murmuring things in her ear that makes her scoff. 

She gives Jacob one last look before she’s pulled out the door, and he’s got a bad feeling that John won’t be able to keep that one contained. 


	73. A kiss pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has any requests I’d love to hear it. My inbox is very dry and very empty haha 😉

Jacob’s sure this is going to get him killed. He should’ve at least told someone where he’d be going, but this seems too private. Something special meant for him and him alone. He’s never had something like that before. 

His headlights shine on the cabin as he pulls up, briefly illuminating what’s inside before he turns the car key and everything goes dark again. 

He waits a few beats, expecting something. He’s not sure what, maybe gunfire. Some sort of ambush. Instead there’s nothing. 

He carefully climbs out of his truck, slamming it shut loudly. Deliberately.

“You’re taking too long.” 

He blinks once and Rook’s staring at him, standing in the doorway with a hip cocked. She isn’t as dirty as he remembers her. She’s soft and clean, a half smile playing on her lips. 

“C’mon. Hurry up.” She bounces on her feet, holding the door open for him. He tips his chin up, regarding her with calculating eyes, expecting her to look away. To break and shy from him like everyone does. 

That never happens. 

She stands in the doorway as he brushes by, and he doesn’t imagine the way she raises her head and breathes in. Her lip twitches when he catches her eye. That’s all over in a moment though, and then the door is shutting behind him—she doesn’t lock it—but he’s still trapped in a way. 

“Got your letter, Rook.” 

She hums, moving smoothly past him and further into the cabin. Her cabin, he realizes when he glances around. There are pictures and clothes strewn around. It’s well lived in. 

“And you showed up.”

“Well, that’s what the letter said to do.” 

She laughs, and his chest tightens. Cause she doesn’t have a right to laugh at him. She should be terrified of him. 

“You always do what mysterious notes tell you to?” 

He snorts, arms folding across his chest as he shakes his head. “Not exactly mysterious. You signed your name at the bottom.” He taps his scarred cheek with his finger in faux contemplation. “What was it? ‘With love, Rook?’” 

She narrows her eyes at him but she doesn’t seem as embarrassed as he would’ve hoped. She shrugs and moves towards the couch pushed against the far wall, expecting him to follow. 

He doesn’t. Not right away. 

“Yeah, that’s what I wrote. It’s what I meant, too.” 

Jacob shifts on his feet as she sits. Drawing her knees up to her chest as she sweeps her eyes over the length of his body. “I have a surprise for you,” she admits lowly when he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even move. 

“Coulda given it to me the next time you wind up in one of my cages.”

Rook’s nose scrunches up and—fuck him—suddenly he’s right back to that moment a few weeks back. Where his face was bracketed by cold metal bars and she kissed him so sweetly. It has the same effect, makes his heart stutter in a way that should be concerning. 

“No, no I wanted this to be private.” 

Now he steps forward, liking that he’s taller, that he can look down on her. He’s got the upper hand if this still turns out to be some kind of trap. 

“More private than kissing me in my yard?” He challenges. 

_ Now  _ she blushes. Her head ducks and her shoulders hike up around her neck sheepishly. 

Her fingers twirl in her lap, a nervous tic she doesn’t bother to hide from him. Which is interesting. He’d figure that she wouldn’t want to show any sign of weakness, that her soft underbelly was for only friends to see. 

Not him. 

Not for her enemy. 

Or whatever they are. He’s starting to think things have changed since last time. She’s made things so much more complicated. 

“Sorry about that, uh, locking you in a cage and all. That was…” she blows out a breath and laughs, “there were probably better ways to go about that.”

He chuckles and falls down beside her. The couch sinks under his weight and draws her closer. Forcing their thighs to brush together. The contact isn’t unwelcome. It’s strange for him though. Something he’s so unused to and starved for, and yet she’s the one who shakes. A full tremor runs through her spine before she can recenter herself.

Jacob stares at her for a while. Knuckles holding his head up as he slings an arm over the back of the couch. He stares and stares, searching for something he can’t seem to find. 

“Why’d you bring me here, deputy?” 

She doesn’t answer right away, lips trembling and fingers continuing to twirl. It bothers him, makes him nervous. He reaches out and grabs her wrists until the bones grind together. 

He cocks an eyebrow when she just looks at him. 

“I brought you here,” she shakes her head and amends her statement, “I asked you to come here because I thought we had unfinished business—“

“No,” he murmurs, “that’s not it. Try again.” He leans in a little closer, their bodies almost flush. 

She bobs her head fast, looking desperate. “I have a surprise, I thought I said that.” 

Jacob sighs and pulls back. Falling into the couch and glancing over at her with boredom in his eyes. It’s a front, a hard one to keep up. “You brought me here because you want to kiss me again. Or do something a little more than that.” He smiles when her nostrils flare. “You were all sorts of confident the last time I saw you. Trapping me the way you did, being bold enough to kiss me through the bars. Where’d that all go, Rook?” 

He reaches out to graze her lips with his knuckles. Moving over chapped and split skin from the cold. 

Rook doesn’t seem to have an answer for him, she tries, her mouth opens and closes repeatedly. But ultimately she stays silent. A reaction he doesn’t much care for. 

He lets her know that with a press to her shoulders, shoving her back against the couch. The finger once on her lips slips down to her throat. Not choking her, not yet, but the threat is there. 

“Show me why I’m here, honey.”

She doesn’t move immediately. Her eyes go wide and they flicker endlessly around his face. Tracking him. It takes another moment—Jacob’s patient, always has been—and she grabs his shoulder to swing herself over him. 

She ends up straddling him, thighs squeezing tight around his own. Her breath catches and she inhales deeply, like this is some kind of experience for her. As if he’s something worth pining after. 

Her hands move up to his face, cupping his cheeks as she leans in to her. Jacob braces himself, chin tipped slightly, and she kisses him. 

It’s soft just like before. More hesitant if anything, like she knows that this stunt is exponentially more dangerous without him contained this time. It doesn’t stop her from clinging to him though, one hand curling in his jacket while the other brushes along the nape of his neck. 

It’s what he’s been starved for, what he’s been needing. This kiss— _ her _ kiss, is what has been keeping him awake at night for the past three weeks. Now he has her again and he realizes how much she’s fucked him over. That he’ll never be the same because of her.

Rook pulls away with a sigh that mirrors his own. She looks just as content as him, pure bliss flashing across her face before she leans back down and nuzzles into his neck. 

“We’re both fucked, aren’t we, Jacob?” 

He laughs, his arms coming to hold her closer to his chest until her breath comes out shaky. 

“Yeah,” he kisses her temple and feels her shudder, though he doubts its for the same reason as why he begins to shake. Because he’s thinking about the future, about the months ahead of them. That sooner or later she’ll kill him. 

This charade of happiness will end eventually, but for now, for now he wants to be happy. He doesn’t think he deserves much, but this? God he wants this. 

He sighs, eyes slamming closed as his head knocks back. He feels her shift and his arms get tighter around her.  _ Don’t leave, please. Let me have this. Let me know what it’s like for a little while.  _

“Jacob?” 

“S’alright, honey, let’s just...let’s just rest. Think we both need it, huh?” 

She goes lax again and with it his heart rate returns to normal. “Yeah, yeah, okay.”

He hums, unsure whether or not she sees through his facade, he supposes it doesn’t matter. Not when he’ll be dead soon. Nothing matter except squeezing out a few more weeks of this. 

This is what he’ll live for until then. 


	74. Stuck Together (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob tracks Rook through the woods but their struggle is interrupted by the local wildlife and they find themselves waiting it out together on a hunter’s perch

This is all his fault. She wasn’t too sure at first, but she’s been given a lot of time to mull it all over, and she’s decided that the past few hours wouldn’t have ever happened if he hadn’t come along. 

Rook turns her head slowly, languidly, and purses her lips in contemplation. He’s peering over the edge of the platform, hand braced on the wood to keep from tumbling over. 

“This is all your fault,” she informs him when the bear below them stops its angry chuffing enough for her to be heard. 

Jacob doesn’t bother looking at her, he just continues his slow scan of the forest floor. He eventually eases back to lean against the bark of the tree that goes up through the middle and keeps the hunters perch from staying up. 

His knee is cocked, arm resting on it before he finally looks her way. He looks so  _ bored,  _ like he had a whole day planned in front of him, a mountain of things to be doing right now and she had gone and fucked it all up. Except she hadn’t exactly told him to chase her, had she? 

He scratches his chin, beard ruffling in the silence before their tree begins to get gouged by sharp claws.

The only attention he gives her is a sidelong glance. And if they weren’t the only two here, she’d think he was talking to someone else. “You would think that, wouldn’t you?” 

His eyes narrow when she snorts, shoulders slumping as she goes back to shaving away at the bark with her knife. She’s working on a pretty picture, albeit a tad lewd, and his constant reconnaissance of the forest is distracting her. He angles his body to the side to get nearer to her, the breath of his shoulders still resting on the tree. When she meets his eyes she can’t  _ not  _ notice the mocking sneer on his face. “You haven’t done an ounce of good to the people here—you try to help but your so-called friends end up worse off whenever you’re around.” 

Her knife pauses it’s way through the tree and her hands fall into her lap. She isn’t sure she heard him right, it’s already hard enough to grasp the fact that he’s actually talking to her—being something close to civil—and that alone makes her brain short circuit.  _ What  _ he said is impossible to wade through and it takes her a couple tries before she manages to speak. 

“That’s not true. I’m helping.”

“Yeah, you’d like that to be what’s going on. But everyone ends up dead or wishing they were dead when they cross paths with you.” He holds her glare and she hates herself when she looks away, down towards the bear circling them. Effectively trapping them in each other’s company. “John told me about your botched confession, the one where you almost took his ear off?” He pauses, waits until she looks up at him and he can see the recognition that lights up her eyes. “Nick Rye got his flesh torn off because of you. Doesn’t that man have a family? Shame on you for thinking you’re doing good when really you roped him into a fight that you’ll never win, giving him false hope. You’re going to make his wife a widow and that kid an orphan.” 

Her fingers tighten around the hilt of her knife and in return Jacob leans away from her. Falls heavily on the tree once more and brushes his shirt away from his waist, showing off the shiny red pistol tucked away there. 

Her lips twist into a grimace. Her own gun had been knocked out of her hands in the scuffle, she’d been hoping it was the same deal for him. Instead his knife was missing, leaving them a mismatched pair of weapons between the two of them. 

That’s his fault too, she’s sure his Chosen could’ve grabbed her just fine. Lord knows they haven’t had any issues in the past. So really there was no need for him to hunt her down personally. To tackle her to the ground and shove his knife under her neck and demand that she behave before he slits her throat ear from ear. 

Jacob probably blames the bear that interrupted them. 

Rook lets her knife fall between her legs, leaning back on her palms to watch him. Unwilling to respond to what he had said. There’s no use arguing with him. He wouldn’t understand that the people of Hope County  _ want  _ to fight. They've been fighting for a long time before she rolled in—she gave them hope, showed them they could win this thing. But she sure as hell didn’t start this. Nick Rye is a grown man with a wife to keep him grounded. She didn’t make him do anything. 

Jacob doesn’t stop there though. 

“What about your Marshall friend? He ended up dead. What was it? Last week?” 

It’s a fresh wound, lying raw and bloody, and the reminder makes Rook bare her teeth. Burke wasn’t much of a friend for the short time she knew him. She hated him the moment he strolled into their small precinct acting like he was somebody. But he was a person who needed help just like the rest of Hope. By now Rook’s made a reputation of helping people just because they need it. Even if he was an asshole, no one deserves Faith’s treatment. 

“Your sister killed Burke, made him blow his brains out. I didn’t do that.”

Jacob chuckles, head tipping back with a dull thunk. “And he would’ve stayed as Faith’s little pet if you didn’t keep fighting for your petty, righteous plan. He would’ve lived, and we both know that’s better than death for a lot of people.” His eyes close, hand finally moving away from his gun to rest comfortably in his lap. “Then you run up here and try to help Pratt—and he went and done something stupid to try and help you that I bet you don’t even know about, cause he didn’t get very far in his plan.” 

Her heart leaps and despite herself she crawls closer to him. Gets on her hands and knees to grab at the material of his jeans and  _ tugs _ . 

Jacob doesn’t shove her away, he just smiles benignly at her, like she’s a puppy asking to play. 

“What did you do to him?” 

“I didn’t do anything, deputy. Remember? All of this is your fault.” He makes a wide gesture with his hand that waves outward, “including this.” 

Her hand stays where it is, practically touching his belt, and his eyes follow it and he scoffs. His legs kick out in front of him and she falls back. He doesn’t let it go though, because they have nothing else to do up here other than claw at each other's throats. 

“Why didn’t you kill me, Rook? Why the hell did you help me?” 

She laughs, tries to put some ounce of cruelty in it but it falls flat. “I’d hardly say I saved you.” 

At least in her mind she hadn’t. Rook had yelled out that there was a bear when a flash of brown caught her eyes but that’s the extent of her ‘helping.’ She did shove out at his chest and he followed through with the motion which spared him just in time. She might’ve grabbed his trunk of a forearm but that was instinct. Pure adrenaline rushing through her veins and muscles memory of rescuing others that had her do what she did. 

She regrets that now. 

He shakes his head, darting out to grab her wrist and tug her near. The force of it jostles her forward and makes her nearly fall into his lap. 

“The fuck did you want from this, huh?” He smiles—and it’s not a weak attempt at cruel like hers as been. He gets it right. It’s mean and mocking, makes her heart rate spike angrily. “Were you hoping I’d be strong for you? That we’d get up and here and I would pin you down and fuck you like—“

With a snarl she grabs the front of his jacket and yanks him close, he was prepared for that. Stopping himself short from slamming into her. What he didn’t expect was for her to smash him back a split second later. Forcing his head to bang against the tree. 

It’s more than anyone has ever touched Jacob in a long while. He’s used to sitting up in his castle, getting the respect he thinks he deserves. 

And she’s overstepped. 

He recovers quickly and wastes no time retaliating. His hands go to grab at her shoulders and he shoves her backwards. Practically throws her. She screams, she can’t help it, there’s a bear beneath them, and the upper half of her body is dangling off of the platform. 

Rook goes to scramble away but Jacob’s faster. He sits atop her hips and keeps her rooted to the spot. Ironically he’s the only thing to keep her from falling. 

“You do not fucking do that to me.” His hand closes around her throat and he squeezes  _ hard.  _ Puts just enough pressure to block off her airway and lets her know that it’s entirely intentional. “You got that mad just from someone talking dirty?” He laughs, squeezing more, makes her gasp and sputter. “Or are you upset that I’m right? That I know what’s going on up inside your head when you wanted to keep those thoughts secret?” 

Her hands come up to encircle his wrists. She tightens her hold, considers trying to wrench him away, but that struggle might end poorly. Like with her being tossed over the edge of the platform to her death. 

Getting ripped apart sounds fucking painful, but she doubts Jacob would be fazed. She’s seen what he’s done to people who get in his way, people he’s done with, so to speak. She’s watched from afar as he’s made a spectacle of someone’s death. Saw him personally toss someone forward into a cage as they get torn limb from limb by wolves. 

He’ll kill her and he won’t lose any sleep over it. 

“You flatter yourself, Seed,” she gasps, wincing when his nails dig into her skin. Surprisingly long nails for a soldier. “Who the fuck would let you stick their dick into them?” 

He laughs, but he does lean back. He moves back just a small amount to sit on her thighs. She doesn’t try to get up, under no impression that she’s in control. She does however scoot down until her entire body has something solid beneath her and not just air. She focuses on catching her breath in gulping lungfuls before he takes it away from her again. 

When he doesn’t say anything and she begins to lose feeling in her thighs she speaks. Anger making her tongue loose. “Unless you want to fuck me, is that it?” She laughs when he’s strangely silent. “You’re projecting. Wouldn’t be surprised if the only way you get your thrills is by forcing yourself on someone.” 

She hears him snarl low under his breath, but she doesn’t stop there. Now it’s probably the lack of oxygen that makes her keep talking. 

“You’ve got a whole base full of helpless victims. I bet you take  _ them _ .” She chuckles to herself, “a fox in a hen house.” Rook raises up on her elbows to get a better look at him. There’s a fury on his face she’s never seen before. 

It only makes her continue, if for the express reason that she’s never been able to push his buttons before, to see the hardened exterior fall apart that he tries so hard to keep under wraps is falling away. 

“You get off on having power, on being the one in charge. You probably trade lots of shit for sex, give your suffering prisoners food and water and maybe even a fucking blanket just for some head.” She reaches out and taps a finger to his chest, drawing a line down. Down across his sternum and over the hard lines of muscles that jump under her touch until she reaches his belt buckle. She clutches the piece of leather and jerks him forward, making their hips grind together.

“And now you’ve got someone who is strong enough to match you at your mercy and you’re drooling just to touch me.” 

Whatever reverie Jacob was in snaps when she retracts her hand. He shuffles off her thighs and falls back on the wood. He’s on his knees, looking down on her as she carefully gets to her feet. 

At this point she’s considering jumping down on her own, facing that bear just so she can leave Jacob’s company. 

He speaks up before she can come to a decision. 

“You can call me a lot of things, Rook, but a rapist isn’t one of them.” 

She’s got her back turned towards him, she’s not going to give him a reaction. She said her piece. And apparently that’s all he needed to say in return, because he falls quiet and they lapse into silence for the rest of the day. Long past when the sun went down and after two times of trying to ease their way down the ladder only for the bear to come charging back at them. 

It’s dark when Jacob finally speaks again. 

“You got anything to start a fire in that bag?” 

She doesn’t bother checking, she knows she doesn’t, she just shakes her head real slow. The muscles there had gone stiff a while ago. 

“Some survivalist you make.” 

“Could say the same thing about you,” she challenges, curling up further on her side to preserve some shred of heat. “You don’t have shit either.” 

He goes quiet again and she tries to fall asleep. There are colors dancing behind her closed lids when she focuses too hard on the blackness. 

“We should bed down for the night,” she hears Jacob swallow after he speaks. His limbs stretch out and his boot scuffs the wood. It’s annoying so she just grunts her agreeance. He mumbles something she can’t make out past her bag, which makes an awful pillow, but she’s slept in worse conditions.

She’s sure Jacob has too. Not that he seems particularly happy about this. He lies down beside her, there’s only so much room to spare, but there’s space between them. Three inches at most. Which is enough. Hopefully. Fingers crossed that he doesn’t roll over and force her to tumble off onto the ground. 

Rook purses her lips and rolls over to face him only to find him staring at her. 

“What?” He sounds angry, peeved off when he doesn’t deserve to be. 

“Don’t push me off.” 

He huffs indignation but the matter is somewhat settled. Satisfied she closes her eyes and shoves her head in her arms, breathing hot air until exhaustion takes hold and drags her under. 

Sleeping must’ve only lasted a couple of hours though. Because when she opens her eyes it’s still deathly dark out. The kind of dark that used to make her rush upstairs when she turned off the lights...because monsters. Duh. 

Her hands are curled to her chest, legs drawn up as far as they’ll go. Her bag is gone, either above her head somewhere or fallen down below. She makes an agitated noise and tries to rub at her eyes, her contacts feel glued to her lids, but she finds that she can’t move her hands. 

It becomes strikingly clear as to why as she shifts just so and arms that don’t belong to her grow tight around her body. Jacob must’ve moved in his sleep, or maybe she inched closer to him, whatever the case they’re now lying real close to each other—borderline cuddling—and Rook did not sign up for this shit at all. 

She risks tipping her head up oh so carefully. She's more than aware that sleeping beside a veteran who could have untreated PTSD could go awry, but being locked in said veteran’s grasp? She could die like this. 

It takes a while for her to wiggle her hand up and out from between the hot press of their bodies, and when she does she has to pause. To track his expression and every line of relaxed muscles for movement. For signs that he’s waking up. 

He’s curiously still. 

It gives her hope that all it’ll take to get out of his grip would be to pull her off him. She grabs his wrist and tugs. Which does nothing. If anything it makes him hold her tighter. 

Rook tries again though, because what else is there to do? She pulls a little harder and it’s an immediate mistake. He goes tense and inhales sharply, fingers biting into the skin between her shoulder blades. 

“Get off me,” she grunts, shoving full force at his chest when it’s clear that he’s awake. That he knows where he is and isn’t looking to murder her. 

“You didn’t seem to mind,” he mumbles back weakly. Somehow awake almost immediately. She swears he’s baring his teeth at her. A snarky little twitch to his eyebrow as she huffs. 

“You’re projecting. Again. I’m not the one who cuddles up to the closest heat source like a lost dog.” She jams the tip of her shoe against the soft flesh of his shin and hears the resounding grunt he lets out. 

“Fuck off that way,” she tries again. 

He did rise up on his elbows but he’s still too near. Close enough that she can feel him radiating heat even through his clothes, close enough that she can smell his aftershave. Which only serves as a reminder to Pratt, how he made her friend shave him because the guy likes to jerk it to his own power. 

Jacob doesn’t say anything, done prodding at her nerves for once. Or maybe he hears the sheer wrath in her voice and listens to his intuition and quiets down. He doesn’t back away though. He’s still glaring at her, akin to a wolf staring past the barrel of a gun to the hunter that dares point such a thing at him. 

Rook grabs the collar of his jacket and jostles him, “for fucks sake, I’m serious.” Her knee hikes up higher, a protection of sorts. She brushes against the front of his jeans where he’s so goddamn hard that it must hurt. 

He’s still staring at her, swallowing audibly when her head snaps up to catch his gaze. 

She sighs angrily. “I’m not fucking you.”

His lips twist, anger coming back so readily and with such force that it startles a laugh from her. 

“Sleep it off, Seed.” 

He grunts, shifting with a wince as his cock drags painfully across his zipper. “Just let me,” his hand reaches out, fingers shaking before he grabs her shoulder. “Rook.” He fixes her with a hard stare. She recognizes that there’s no malice behind his actions. Just want. Pure unadulterated lust that makes his voice sound soft. Almost like he’s pleading. 

But Jacob Seed doesn’t plead. He doesn’t beg. 

“It’s just us out here,” he reasons, sliding closer. Pressing his other hand to her hip. “No ones gotta know.” 

“Except for John. He’s dying to hear my confession—properly—and I’ll say yes just so he can find this out.”

Jacob laughs, a hardy chuckle that sounds so loud. “John would probably like hearing about who you fuck.” 

She makes a considering noise, eyes flickering across what little she can see of his face. She can’t lie and say that she doesn’t find Jacob attractive, he just also happens to be insanely dangerous. The thought of rolling in the sheets with him has crossed her mind, but that’s been the case with his brothers too. He’s nothing special. And really this shouldn’t be special either. 

Rook falls on her back, head hitting the wood with a dull thunk. 

“Fine,” she grits out. “Do it before I change my mind.” 

He only hums in acknowledgment, already yanking down his zipper and busting open the button before his dick does it for him. He tosses a leg over her body, hovering over her with his fists planted firmly beside her head. His eyes, bright and expressive for once, don’t match his carefully calculated movements. 

One hand goes to her shirt and she immediately stops that shit. “We’ll freeze, I’m not getting undressed.” She glances down at where his jeans have been pulled down, boxers close to following, “but if you want to lose your dick to the cold then be my guest.”

“I’m not going to—“ he huffs out an angry breath, a small cloud puffing out onto her cheek to prove her point. He’s back on the tops of her thighs again, hands clenched in his lap. She sees the gears turning behind his eyes, looking for a way to get to her without killing them both from the cold. 

She shifts under him, hands hesitantly going to the tops of his thighs. “I don’t think this is going to work. Stupid idea.” She murmurs that last part more to herself.

“No.” His nostrils flare and he moves closer. Going to sit on her chest—trapping her. And she gets the gist real quick. Which isn’t unappealing as it seems, sucking him off like this, so she opens her mouth without a word and he groans at the flash of a pink tongue and a warm mouth. 

It takes a moment for him to rise up on his knees and bend his dick down for her to take. She has to strain her neck up to reach and she knows she won’t be able to hold this position for long. Though she might just try if it means she gets to hear the noises Jacob makes. The first one is punched out of him, a low sigh of relief she never thought he was capable of. 

Her tongue flicks out across his head, gliding over his slit. She keeps her eyes open, on him as his hips strain to keep still. He’s aching to move, to push himself deeper into her mouth until he can feel her throat clamp down around him. But maybe he knows what thin ice he’s on, that she’s apt to take this away at any moment. 

Her hand comes up to wrap around his shaft. Touching what her mouth won’t be able to reach. The action makes him choke, lips twisting as his chin drops to his chest. 

She leans up to take him further, mouth slipping his head fully in her mouth. She traces over veins with her tongue as she goes. Teasing light touches that keep him wanting. Her jaw gets that familiar ache at the sides from the stretch—and she wonders why he deserves her caution. She doubts he’d tell her to stop if a tooth caught his sensitive flesh. 

Jacob’s hand finds the back of her head, not tangling his fingers in her hair to control. To force her up and down his length so he can chase his own pleasure. Just holding her. 

“Such a good girl,” he finally mumbles, “look at you, like you were ready for this.” A grunt tumbles out of him when she wraps her lips tighter around him. Sucking at his dick with gentle pulls. 

Her eyes shutter closed, even if Jacob makes quite the picture above her, she wants to get lost in the motions. The easy give and take they're showing off. 

“Joseph said to me that I was being too cruel, ah, that I,” his words break and she feels his thighs tremble, “I shouldn’t be treating you like I was because you were special.” 

Rook pulls off and strokes up fast with her hand, she purses her lips and already she can feel how swollen they are. 

He finally gives in and thrusts forward, better for her now that her mouth is gone. His hand leaves the back of her head in favor for grabbing her shoulder. His nails dig in as he hisses through his teeth. There’s a flash of something in his eyes before he drops his hand lower and grabs hold of her breast. 

He squeezes hard—which is fucking rude considering the treatment she’s giving him. 

“I told Joseph to go fuck himself. That my methods would work,” he laughs, his thrusts getting quicker, “what do you think, honey?” 

She raises an eyebrow and leans in to lick away the precum leaking out of his tip. She hesitates, making him wait for an answer when she pops his head back into her mouth and gives it a couple strong sucks that makes him curse. 

She pulls off and watches his cock bob. “You could stand to be a little nicer,” she admits lowly. Her wrist turns, and her free hand drops to cup his balls. The action makes his whole body twitch, like he’s been electrocuted. 

“Nice?” He laughs and it’s strained. “You’re asking for a lot. Never was one to, fuck, do nice.” He bites out his last word, body doubling over as he massages her breast in his hand. “Fuck, Rook, c’mon, just like that.” 

She rolls out the muscles in her neck, letting her head fall back as she continues to stroke him. “Where do you want it?” She asks, just to see what he’ll say. 

It takes him a moment, where all that she can hear is his labored breathing and the slick way her hand slides up and down. But finally he gathers up the last shreds of his wit and answers her. 

“On your face.” He scrambles to grab her, nails catching on her jaw as he yanks her forward. It’s an uncomfortable angle, but it only lasts a couple tense seconds before he’s releasing his seed in ropey strands over her cheeks. It leaks down slowly, moving past her closed lips. 

He’s still breathing heavy when he brings up his thumb and takes his spent and puts pressure on her mouth. She barely opens up for him, but he gets it in. And then she’s sucking on his thumb, teeth tracing the whorls and patterns before she nips down. 

He doesn’t retract, just chuckles and rolls off her. She hears more than sees him tuck himself away. 

“Here, clean yourself up.” Something gets thrown in her direction and she reaches out blindly before her fingers curl around leather. Her bag. She hadn’t dropped it after all. 

She pops it open and grabs a piece of clothing at random. Whatever she’s using as a rag is effectively ruined. She’s not about to stop by Nick and Kim’s, or god forbid, the marina, with her laundry and have someone ask questions. 

Rook’s about to speak, to try and break the awkward silence that’s descended on them in the dark, but before she can she hears the flick of a lighter. And just like that Jacob’s face is illuminated by the burning ember of a cigarette. 

She narrows her eyes at him and he regards her carefully past the swirling smoke. 

“You had a lighter?”

She sees his lips twitch underneath his beard. 

“You had a fucking lighter?” Her voice raises an octave, bear be damned. “This entire time?? You asked me if I had matches!”

He nods, a barely there sort of jerk of his head. Whereas before she couldn’t make him out in the darkness, now with the glowing stub of his cigarette she sees the pleased curl to his lip. 

“We could’ve froze to death,” she snarls. 

“Except we didn’t. We slept beside each other,” he waves his hand, “body heat, you know?” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. And she can’t help her soft laugh. 

“I just blew you.” 

He chuckles, legs kicking out and he looks so very smug. “Yeah, honey, you did.” 

“Asshole.”

Another smile, this one makes her stomach drop. “You liked it.” 

She turns her face away and falls back down to sleep so he can’t see her. So he can’t see the smile that has begun to replace her scowl. Yeah. Yeah she did kinda like it. 

But he doesn’t have to know that. 


	75. Reason To Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook finds a picture of the Seeds as children after their fight. She makes the decision to spare him.

She’s holding onto the front of his jacket tight. Tipping her head around and trying to hold his gaze. He’s slipping away from her fast, they both know that. He’s speaking through the pain though, gasping and sputtering, hands coming up to brace on her shoulders. She’s yanked closed with what little strength he has left. 

That’s when she sees it. 

A little slip of thin paper, folded twice over, peaking out of the front pocket of his jeans. It’s hardly anything, barely noticeable. And maybe if he wasn’t dying she wouldn’t pay it any mind. But that’s just it, huh? He’s dead because of the bullets she shot through his body, he’s going to be nothing more than another corpse added to the pile. That changes everything. 

Including whatever animosity laid between them. She lets a hand slip away from his chest to tug at the paper. He makes a wounded noise and reaches out for her when she steps away. His fingers twitch, asking for it. 

She unfolds it and suppresses her startled gasp. Out of all the things she wouldn’t have assumed him to carry this. Something so sweet and utterly  _ normal _ as a family picture. 

“Deputy.” His voice is hoarse, a dying man’s last breath wasted on her title. On  _ begging _ . 

She rakes her eyes over the photo, tries to reconcile in her mind the man that’s sitting before her with the little boy captured in time. 

“This is you?” Rook holds it up for him to see, just out of reach. “And these...those boys, that's Joseph and John?” She doesn’t really have to ask, and his responding nod isn’t surprising. She sees the resemblance there, at least in Joseph and Jacob. John’s just a baby, held up on Jacob’s hip with his head resting on his chest. Pudgy fists tangled in his shirt. A poorly fitted shirt at that. All of them look dirty and, to be honest, homeless. Like they’ve been forgotten. 

It tugs at a place in her heart not meant for him. 

He doesn’t deserve her sympathy. Nor do his brothers. But it’s enough of a reminder that he means something to somebody. That taking him away would ruin the lives of three other people in this county. And that’s three people too many. 

“Rook.” He’s reaching out for her again, “the picture.” Finally she steps forward and his hand catches on her waist and pulls her in. Then he’s grabbing at the picture. She doesn’t let him take it though, his hands are shaking too much for that. A stark reminder that he doesn’t have a lot of time left. 

“I won’t let you die,” she tells him softly, though he doesn’t react, doesn’t act like he’s heard her. “You’ve got a family.” She laughs at the irony of it all. “Fuck you,” she tells him, leaning down to heft him up into her arms. She tries to take the brunt of his weight, he’s dying though and it’s hard. Blood is seeping out through holes that she made. 

She won’t quite forgive herself if he dies. She won’t be able to get the image out of her head—one of a devastated family mourning—it shouldn’t take one of their deaths for things to change around here. Even if that’s what so many people want. After all she’s done she should be able to make this decision. 

It takes some doing to get to the Veteran’s Center without getting shot. She drops him on the road leading up to it and she fires three shots in the air. She waits on the outskirts of the woods until his men rush to the noise and they find him. She isn’t sure if he’ll live, she’s done all she can. 

Except…

“Joseph.” She steals herself, grits her teeth and doesn’t wait for a response. “Jacob’s at the Vetetan Center, if I were you I’d get there quick. I’m not sure how much time he’s got left.” 

She’s a coward, easy as that, because she turns off her radio so she doesn’t have to hear the panic in his voice when he responds. 

Rook waits on the outskirts for a while, her hand shoved in her pocket where that picture still lays. It’s heavy, burning a hole in her jeans with each passing second. She blames her conscience for that. For making her stay near the Vet Center until she sees what has to be Joseph’s car pull in. 

She should’ve left after that, but that damn picture. She takes it out, rubbing along the edges where it’s obvious someone’s done the same thing for many years. With a slight huff she sets on her way, considers and reconsiders what she’s about to do and decides that this has to be worth it. That if Jacob doesn’t care if she gets killed, Joseph definitely will. 

Though she’s not scaling the side of the building to see Joseph. She’s not sneaking through the halls and dumping bodies along the way to find Joseph. 

Rook isn’t sure how long it takes before she cracks open a door and finds Jacob behind it. He looks dead to the world, and that scares her the most. He’s got tubes coming out of his mouth and pressed along his arms. Most noticeably though: no ones in there. No doctors, none of his siblings. 

It makes her wonder if they’ve done all they can. If everyone’s already said their goodbyes. 

“Jacob?” She slips inside the room, closing the door quietly behind her as she does so. Carefully she tip toes across the linoleum in a way that she thinks would make Jacob proud. 

The machines are beeping steadily, he’s alive, she just doesn’t know if he can hear her. Though maybe that’s for the best. Because she feels the pressure of tears behind her eyes as she eases herself down on the hospital bed and takes out the photo. 

There’s a pang of pity that ricochets within her chest as she looks at him. He’s a bad man, he’s done unspeakable things and shouldn’t be alive to tell the story. But maybe someone should've taken the time to ask her how much she hates killing people. Including monsters like Jacob Seed. A person is a person. 

Hesitantly she reaches up and brushes the backs of her knuckles along his cheek. For the first time she feels the scars and bumps that have destroyed his skin. It makes this all the more real. Solidifies her choice. 

She clears her throat and speaks ever so softly. “I thought you’d want this back.” She places the picture next to his hand, wants so badly for him to wake and curl his fingers around it. 

He doesn’t. He’s limp, dead to the world. 

“It seems important.” She gives a weak laugh, “really I think anyone in this county can see how much you love your siblings. You love your family. They make you strong.” She winces at the word, at the bad memories that it conjures up in her mind. 

She leans closer to him, a hand falling on his forearm and squeezing. “That being said, you think if anyone realizes the harm they’re doing it’d be you. You’re taking lives and ruining…” her words cut off, images of dead bodies, of mourning families, coming to the forefront of her mind. “How can you do that? How can you take from them? Everyone you kill...they’re a sibling, a parent, a child. But you still do it.”

She wants to tell him that he’ll rot in hell where he belongs, but something stops her.  _ He  _ stops her. His eyes twitch open too suddenly for him to be just waking up and his hand flies up to grab her shoulder. 

“You should spare me the speech and just kill me, deputy. Everything you’re saying,” he clicks his tongue, “of course I’ve thought all that over. Who do you think I am?” He holds her tighter, annoyance raging in his eyes. 

“You were awake…?”

He nods wordlessly, watching her. Maybe waiting for her to shoot him. 

“I don’t want to kill you.” She ignores his snort, “or your brothers and sister.” She shakes his grip away, surprised briefly when he doesn’t fight her. 

“You will though.” 

Rook gives a slight nod, flinching when he sighs. 

“Why are you here, Rook?”

She looks away, anywhere else but Jacob. She can’t stand the sight of him, his piercing blue eyes that seem to go right through her. Urging her to do something. “I want this to stop. I want to stop having to come across kids who have been orphaned because of your brother's cause. I want to stop consoling parents who have had their kids stolen because your brothers think they’ll be safer locked underground.”

She takes a steadying breath, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “You’ve torn families apart.”

“I have. So have my siblings.” 

“You won’t stop.” She whispers softly, a weight settling on her chest. And for the first time her gaze flicks down where she left his picture. It’s held tight in his hand, his thumb absently rubbing against it. 

He’s a selfish man, she was foolish to think he’d be able to change just by her words. 

“I won’t stop,” he mirrors her words. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Go tug on Joseph’s heartstrings.”

She stands, knees weak and trembling as she walks.

“And Rook?”

Her hand hovers over the doorknob and she wonders if all hell is about to break loose when The Deputy walks out into the halls. Hopes that Joseph is nearby to stop that mayhem. 

She doesn’t leave, not yet. “Yes, Jacob?”

“I’m serious. Go talk to Joseph. Please.”

_ Please. _

She’s never heard words like that—the begging kind—from Jacob. 

“John said...he said something real interesting about a week ago.” He pauses, but she doesn’t turn around. He clears his throat, shifting. “Said that I wasn’t able to ‘play nice’ because I never had time to heal. I jumped from one war to another.” 

She keeps her back to him, unwilling to let him see her tears. 

“I’ve become numb to the killing. John has to, though that's no surprise.” He breathes in deep. Ribcage shuddering. Thinking maybe. “Faith is too vengeful to ever give up what she’s doing. But Joseph...he’s got something left in his heart. Maybe something that would stop this.”

Rook glances over his shoulder. “How do you know?” 

“John took a confession last week and it tipped Joseph over the edge. It was,” he stops, runs a hand through his beard, “kid was like 16 and John did a number on her. Left her bloody and bruised, terrified out of her mind. I didn’t care, neither did John.”

She fills in the blank. Meeting his eyes across the room. “Joseph did.”

“Yeah, he did. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him react in such a way to violence. He wasn’t just mad...he started crying. His faith is shaken, he doesn’t think our methods are as pure as they once were when we started.”

She looks away and turns the handle, fingers shaking as she does so. “Jacob?”

“Mhm?”

“Why are you telling me this?”

He sighs, head falling back as he stares up at the ceiling. “Because I almost died up there on that mountain top, and I know I said I didn’t care, that it’s my purpose...but I don’t want to die. That’s what a near death experience will do to someone, I guess. I want to see my brothers live. I want...I want to live a little longer too. I don’t think this is going to end well for my family if we continue on like this.”

She opens the door. “I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you. Thank you, Rook.”


	76. Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob is injured and the only blood available is Rook’s

“There’s been an emergency.”

“One of mine, or yours?”

She can visualize the way John’s teeth grind together at her words. The telltale sign that he’s about to snap as his fists clench and his brows furrow with anger. Sins don’t magically go away after the end of the world. 

“Does it matter? We’re all trying to survive down here, and we won’t last seven years if you keep up with that “us vs them” mentality.” He folds his arms across his chest, frowning. “Even if your little team only consists of you and that damn dog of yours.” 

She sighs, not looking up from her comic. She won’t take the bait, she’s too tired to get into yet another fight about how much of a failure she is for not saving her friends.

“I think that just about answers my question.” She flips a page, leans back in her chair casually. “I don’t think your siblings are my problem.”

John takes a step in her room, shoes clicking on the floor. He stops short of her, not quite trusting that she won’t hurt him. 

“Rook, it’s urgent.” 

“I gathered that.” 

He’s hovering on the edges of her vision and it’s now that she can take a good look at him. She sees the way he’s wringing his hands, shifting his weight foot to foot. Then she sees the blood and she perks up. 

“Is that yours?” She resists the urge to stand. “Are you hurt?”

A tiny shake of his head. “Jacob.” 

Her lips tighten into a grimace. “Oh.”

“Rook I don’t beg very often—“

“No shit,” she mutters.

“But Jacob is very hurt and he’s lost so much blood.” John swallows thickly, nodding himself along when he realizes that she’s quiet, that she’s listening. “Joe and I got him patched up but…”

“He’s lost a lot of blood.”

“He’s so pale,” John whispers. “He can hardly speak.”

She tips her head in consideration even as she stands and walks past him. He’s close at her heels though. “Why can’t either of you give him any?”

His response is immediate. “We’re not compatible.”

“What makes you think I am?”

John huffs, like it’s obvious, “you’re O negative. Universal donor.”

Rook stops dead in her tracks. Barely moving when John slams into her and his hands grasp at her waist to steady himself. 

Carefully she turns to face him, eyebrow raised as she shakes his touch away. “How do you know that?” 

He bares his teeth, a growl tumbling free. He takes a step closer, nose brushing hers as he leans down. “What does it matter? My brother is dying—“

“Karma’s a bitch like that.”

That turns out to be the last straw. John grabs her by the shoulders and slams her against the bunker wall. He towers over her, seeming so much taller than his 5”8. 

“You’ve made a name for yourself for doing the right thing, deputy. You help people. You spared us.” He shakes her slightly for emphasis. “Why save my brother just to let him die now?”

She stares right back at him. Chin tipping back. “Maybe I want him to suffer just a little bit.” 

John lets her go, hands clenching by his side before he makes a grab for her wrist and begins pulling her down the short hallway. 

As they near the living space she hears Joseph speaking softly, praying, she realizes. He lets go of her only once they’ve stepped in the room where Jacob’s sprawled out on the couch. 

She stifles a gasp, tries to keep her emotions on lock because that feels like a betrayal. 

“What happened?”

Jacob’s head is open. Or was open. His skull is wrapped in a thick layer of gauze, covering his eyebrow and the nape of his neck. 

“He fell,” John says carefully. Eyes moving towards the far corner where she spies a step stool. “He was fixing a pipe…knocked his head on the table on the way down.”

Rook physically winces at that. That table is made of metal. 

“He needs blood, huh?”

John nods, that anger bubbling under the surface. “Yes.”

“Do we have what we need to give him blood?” 

Another nod. 

Rook shifts on her feet. Fingers tangling in front of her. She tries to reconcile what kind of person she is, tries to imagine a world where she could save this man’s life. John was right, that she’d done it before up on that mountain top, but she didn’t see it that way. That was a moment of weakness and heartache. 

This would be a conscious decision. 

Could she watch him die? Knowing full well that she was what stood in the way of someone else’s happiness?

That’s not really a question though.

“Fine.” She rolls up her sleeve and falls down on the floor next to the couch. “Let’s do this.” 

John’s by her side in an instant, crouched down with a needle in his hand—hands which are shaking. He’s breathing fast, eyes wet and unable to meet hers. He grabs at her forearm, taking a piece of rubber tubing and tying it around her skin. 

His lips twitch into something that’s almost a smile. “Haven’t done this in a while.”

She cocks an eyebrow. Waits for him to elaborate. He doesn’t. “Was that...a joke?” She leans towards him, a manic laugh slipping free just as he slips the needle into her vein. “About your past drug addiction?”

He laughs, tears finally slipping free and running down his cheeks. He looks so young then, so much like a child who needs someone to hold him. Someone to tell him that everything will be alright even if it won’t. 

He needs his brothers. But one's dying beside them and the other is lost in his prayers. 

“Guess that was kind of in poor taste,” he admits, putting another needle in Jacob’s veins. Connecting them for a haphazard blood transfusion. “Sorry, I’m nervous.” 

She hums, tilting her head as she gazes at him. “Do you know how much you’re allowed to take?”

“Not really.” He smiles, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. “Let me know when you get light headed.” 

He pats her cheek before he stands, back to his angry bitter self. Which works for her, sets their whole dynamic back into place. He scares her more when he acts human, like someone who needs direction and guidance. 

She can deal with John’s attitude. And, as she looks over at Jacob and sees him stir, she’ll have to deal with  _ his  _ once more. 

Rook brushes a strand of hair out of his face, “looks like you’re gonna be around for quite a while, huh?”

He lets out a groan, eyes twitching as he blinks and immediately closes them. Lights too bright apparently. “Don’t touch me.”

She laughs, head falling on the couch. “You so owe me for this.”

“Should’ve killed me.”

She hums, a hand straying to his cheek. Stroking it absentmindedly and somewhat surprised he doesn’t strike out at her. “Yeah, big boy, I should’ve. You’re strong and scary and everyone fears you. Now go back to sleep.”

He grumbles something she can’t make out. Muscles relaxing once more as he slips into a fitful sleep. Dead to the world as she acts as his only life source. 

“Don’t make me regret this, Seed.” She can’t tell if it’s a threat or promise, but it’s a whisper. A soft thing that’s shared between them two, coming out broken and pained because it hits her that she doesn’t want him to die. 

She wants to see them live. Not fight or survive. Just live for once. 


	77. Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob is distraught because he thinks Rook lost their baby

Jacob wakes up and Rook is nowhere to be found. She isn’t tucked in by his side as his little spoon, his hand covering her swelling belly. She isn’t puttering around in the kitchen making coffee or taking a shower. 

He pushes down the immediate flow of panic, of the anxiety that comes from being abandoned. Instead he rushes to the window and pulls back the curtain to see the grounds below. 

She’s not outside. Not where he can see her at least. 

Jacob finds his phone on his desk and thumbs it open. He squints at the screen and almost dies on the spot. Missed calls and texts upon texts. How’d he sleep through all that? 

None of them from Rook, they’re from his brother. John. 

_ Is everything okay in the mountains? -12:45 am _

_ Rook called me, left a voicemail. She sounds upset. I’m going to call her back -12:45 am _

_ She needs me to pick her up. It’s the baby. She didn’t want you to worry but I’m afraid for her -12:59 am _

_ Jacob you need to wake up. We need you here at the ranch. My calls keep getting dropped -1:37 am  _

_ It’s your fucking kid -1:38 am _

Jacob is dressed in two minutes with military efficiency. He’s out the door and pushing past the few lingering guards carelessly. Along the way someone comes up to him, says that Joseph radioed for him. 

He’ll deal with that later, ask that man why he wasn’t woken up immediately. For now he has to get to the Valley. He needs to get to Rook. 

Something’s wrong with their baby. The information hits Jacob hard. About around the time when he’s in his plane and halfway across the mountains.

He fumbles with his phone. Keeping his eyes on the sky as he finds John’s number. And true to word, the call isn’t going through. He keeps trying though. Praying to a God he hadn't believed in for a long time.

And finally he gets somewhere. The phone clicks and John’s voice comes through.

“Thank God,” his brother breathes, voice cracking among the static. “Jes-- Christ, we've-- trying t-- reach you. Where a-- yo--?”

Jacob talks over John, anger spilling out of his throat. “Is Rook okay? The baby?”

“Oh, Jac--. The baby. I don't-- but is-- gone, she’s a wreck.”

Then it ends. The line goes dead. Cuts their conversation short before it ever really started.

He slams his hands down on the controls, makes the plane tip a little before he rights it. “Goddamn reception bullshit.” He tosses his phone somewhere in the back of the plane. He doesn’t have time to be angry at Joseph for cutting the lines, he has to fly. 

It’s near two am by the time he lands in John’s airstrip. He doesn’t bother steering the plane into the hanger, he’s hopping out and breaking into a run. Nearly crashing into one of John’s men as he does so. 

He gets inside and slams the door behind him, it’s loud but no one comes running. 

“John!” 

“I’m here. Right here, Jacob.” 

There are tears in his eyes, he realizes this now as he steps forward and his vision blurs. He feels John approach him, feels his hands on his shoulders. 

“Hey, hey, it’s fine. Calm down. Rook needs you to be strong right now, okay?”

“My baby…”

John cups his cheek, a show of brotherly affection that isn't often given to him. To the man who is still seen as the protector. As the strong one who never crumbles. John pulls him in for a hug, lets Jacob crush the air out of him as tears rush down his face. Wetting his brother’s fancy clothes.

“Your baby is alive. He’s a fighter.”

Jacob hiccups, fingers tightening around John. “Alive?”

“Yes, brother. He’s alive. So is Rook, they’re both okay.” He pulls back, wiping at Jacob’s wet cheeks before John offers up a crooked smile. “Come on, they’re upstairs with the doctor.”

Jacob nods, suddenly so thankful for the numerous faithful willing to rush to their aid. Rook is in good hands, Jacob knows this, but something in the back of his mind nearly tackles the woman tending to his wife as he steps through the door.

She spots him instantly, even as tired as she must be. With half lidded eyes and slow breaths. 

“Jake.”

“Hey, doll.” He’s by her side in an instant, rounding the bed and falling down next to her. Moving ever so carefully when he lifts her head from the pillow and lets her rest on his chest. He feels her muscles relax as she sinks back into him. Content once more.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” He mumbles, kissing her head. Out of the corner of his eye he sees John step out with the doctor, leaving them alone.

“I was scared you’d overreact. You’ve been stressed now more than ever—“

“Because you're pregnant and refuse to take it easy.”

Rook huffs but doesn't say anything else. They've had this conversation about a hundred times before. There's nothing else they can rehash. 

He cards his hand through her hair, messaging her scalp until she groans. It takes a while before she can speak again. Energy sapped from her body so quickly. “I woke up with a pain in my stomach, I thought it was just morning sickness, I dunno. I went for a walk with some of your men.”

“And something went wrong,” he concludes.

“Yeah.” She clutches her abdomen and winces. “The pain got worse and I panicked. I called John because I tried calling you and you didn't answer.”

“I’m so sorry.”

She shifts on her side and throws a leg over his. Gazing up into his eyes with a tentative smile. “Don’t be.”

“I should’ve been here when you…” he shakes his head, no need to rehash it. What’s done is done. “I’m sorry.”

Rook nods, keeping quiet this time around as she reaches up to stroke his cheek. “Do you want to see our son?”

Jacob stills, his chest going heavy. “God, of course.” He grabs her close to him, careful not to hurt her. “I thought we lost him,” he admits. 

“We almost did.”

She twists away from him, hand groping for something on the bedside table. A phone. She taps on it, uncaring when Jacob hooks his chin over her shoulder.

She’s texting John. Which makes Jacob clear his throat to draw her attention. “Is anyone else here?”

“No. Just John,” she glances over at him, laying the phone back down. “But the rest of your family will want to meet our kid.”

“I know.”

“Then why do you look so sick at the thought?” 

His lips twist, stomach rolling at what’s inside his head. He isn’t sure if now is the best time to bring up what’s on his mind. This should be a joyous moment. Fear has a tight hold on him though. 

“What is it, Jacob?”

He relents, sighs, “Joseph.”

“Ahh.”

He nods, kissing her on the crown of her head. He should be able to trust his brother, but if the story Joseph told him—told everyone—is true, then he killed his own daughter because God told him to. So what’s stopping him from hurting his nephew? 

Jacob knows Joseph isn’t in a bad place, not as bad as he was when his wife died, but he’s not stable either. 

He breathes out uneasily, jumping when there’s a knock on the door. There’s a brief pause and then John is stepping inside, a bundle in his arms. 

And Jacob can’t hold back his excitement. He gets up quickly and ignores Rook’s amused laugh. 

“Here,” John hands him off, a smile of his own to match Jacob’s. 

“He’s small.” It’s the first thing that comes to mind. His head fits perfectly in the palm of his hand. He’s fragile and tiny and  _ everything he’s ever wanted.  _

“Hey, angel,” he mumbles, sitting back on the bed. He cradles him to his chest, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek. The act seems to startle him, has his fists raising up to press against Jacob’s beard. His eyes struggle to open, settling on half lidded as he peers up at him. “Look at you.”

Jacob strokes a thumb over his cheek and pulls him in tight. He understands now, what Joseph meant when he said he felt overwhelmed. Because he’s holding this small life in his hands and he’s  _ his.  _ He’s going to rely on him, a man with a tainted path who doesn’t deserve such purity. 

But Jacob doesn’t talk to God. He doesn’t know what’s in the cards or what’s waiting for him ten years down the line. He only knows that this is his child and Jacob will be damned if anyone hurts him. 


	78. Stress Relief (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook is ready to kill Jacob up close, but she soon realizes the stress Jacob is in

Jacob is sitting in a truck bed so utterly exposed to the world that it’s almost laughable. He’s watching his Chosen train, overseeing like a king looking across his castle. 

His attention is split though. Divided between the mess of papers in his hand and the yard of the Ranger Station. And so she feels confident enough to sneak up on him. She knows he’s dangerous—he’s already shown her what he’s capable of. Tired her to a chair and toyed with her mind until it was no longer her own. 

She isn’t sure what he’s apt to do next, but she’s heard the stories. Heard all about what happens to those he straps down to the Chair. She knows that she only has a limited amount of time to strike, wait too long and he’ll have her like putty in his hands. 

This is a little soon to be thinking of killing him, she only has two of the five outposts as her own. Really she hasn’t made any headway at all. She’d rather not have to do this now, but she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep properly at night if she thinks of the what-ifs. 

She’ll take her chances. 

Rook crawls in the tall grass behind his truck. Careful to keep low on her belly, too aware of the soldiers running laps around the place. Occasionally she has to stop, needs to clap a hand over her mouth to quiet her breathing. She makes it to the edge of the grass unnoticed.

Jacob’s truck lies ahead, the headlights showing her scared reflection. She cranes her neck around until she sees him still sitting on the lip of the bed. Legs swinging idly. 

She takes a glance around and gets up on her haunches to run. She makes a dash to the truck and dives under. Pausing in case he heard the dirt beneath him shuffle. 

He doesn’t. 

The radio squeals at the exact same time. Covering the noise she makes and stealing Jacob’s attention.

_ “Jacob?” _

He sighs, heavy and tired before he answers. “What is it, Joseph?”

_ “Is deputy Rook still in the mountains?” _

“As far as I know.” He shifts, shuffling the papers in his hand until he ultimately places them beside him. “I told you that already, though.”

_ “You did.” _

“So tell me why you’re actually calling.” 

Rook creeps forward. Careful to push herself up with her forearms and toes—she doesn’t want to drag herself—that’d make too much noise. 

_ “Things aren’t getting done as quickly as I thought they would.” _

Jacob laughs, his palm hitting the truck under him as he leans back. “What kind of things?” 

_ “Your bunker’s new addition—it's been three years Jacob and it’s still nowhere near done. You’ve yet to give your judges the new strain of bliss Faith made and distributed. John already has it in the water for his baptisms.” _

“Anything else?” 

Rook is right under him now. Close to being kicked in the face if she isn’t careful. 

She unsheathes her knife—she’ll cut his Achilles if she has to—and with the other hand she takes out her gun. 

She has to wait though, it’ll be too suspicious if his conversation with his brother just suddenly cuts off. And so she’s subject to listening in on something she shouldn’t be privy to. 

_ “I’m not trying to parent you, Jacob. Or treat you like a child. If you need help, say it, I have enough time to come down there a few times a week—“ _

“I got it covered, Joe.” He pinches the bridge of his nose and leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “I’ll try and make it to your sermon tomorrow. Over and out.”

_ “I understand if you can’t be there. No stress. Goodbye, brother.” _

Rook breathes a sigh of relief when it seems like they’re done. Then Jacob laughs angrily, “yeah, ‘no stress,’” he mutters, “fucking hell. Need a goddamn drink.” He stands before she can make a move, creating a cloud of dust as he lands. 

She flinches back minutely. Hiding in the curves of her arms as he stomps away. Moving across the yard inside a small tent, a tent that gets promptly yanked shut. A place that looks big enough for only one person. 

Jacob’s own personal hut. 

It takes forever for Rook to sneak across the yard without anyone taking notice. She has to go slow, these men are Chosen, after all, Eden’s Gate special forces. She makes it though. She slips inside the half closed tent and stops when she realizes that Jacob’s back is facing her. 

He’s drinking. 

She speaks without thinking. “Didn’t know that was allowed.”

If he’s startled he doesn’t show it. Speaking to her without turning around. Slumped half over on his desk. “It’s not. What Joseph doesn’t know won’t hurt him, though.”

Rook sucks on her teeth and dares to take a step forward. Her gun is still held loosely in her hand, knife sheathed on her side. Hand to hand wouldn’t go too well with Jacob. 

“Is it a vice or are you celebrating?”

He laughs then, “so many questions.” He pushes the chair out, making it squeak as he stands. “You’ve grown bold.” He looks her up and down, takes his eyes over her and delights in the way she squirms under his probing gaze. “Why are you here?” He crosses the small enclosure to fall down on a cot as he waits for her answer.

“I was going to kill you.”

“How’s that working out for you?”

Rook looks down, fingers twitching on the trigger of her gun. “Honestly?” Her chest expands with her breath, mind running wild. “Great up until five minutes ago.”

He cocks an eyebrow at that. Tilts his head carefully as his lips twist. It’s the most expression she’s seen out of him since she met him. 

She thinks the alcohol has something to do with that. 

Jacob bends down to untie his boots, kicking them off carelessly. “What changed?”

She bites her tongue and steps closer. Wonders if Jacob is tricking her, making her feel at ease only to pounce. She wouldn’t put it past him. 

And she knows she shouldn’t, but she answers him. “I heard your conversation with Joseph.”

His lips tick down at that. Angry. “Ah.”

“Yep.” She meets his gaze head on, takes another step forward as something strange rises up inside her gut. Pity—she recognizes it instantly. “I felt bad.”

“That’s dangerous, those kinds of feelings. They’re apt to get you killed.”

Rook doesn’t say anything. She can’t disagree. That’s not why she followed him to his tent though. She still has intentions to kill him, and now she’s realizing her mistake. Giving away the element of surprise the way she had. 

Why did she do that? 

There’s an awkward length of silence between them. Long enough where she just considers shooting him to break the tension. 

He speaks before she can make up her mind. “I don’t like the way you keep looking at me.”

“W-what?”

“Like you pity me. I  _ hate  _ that.” He laughs suddenly, lips curling in a sneer. “Is this what’s going on, deputy? You’d figure you can fix me? That you can get something out of this, maybe some information just because I’m stressed and you think that means I’m weak?” 

“I—no. No it’s not like that.” She frowns, gun held tighter in her hand. “I was going to kill you.”

“Yeah, you told me that.” He stands then, rising to his full height and glaring down at her. Far more intimidating than she remembers him being. He steps closer, keeps walking until the bends of her knees hits a storage container and she’s forced to stop. 

He takes out his knife, so fully aware that she can’t scream. That she can’t run. His men are littering the place.

There’s a shift in his eyes, as he sees her not backing down from him. He likes that. He enjoys her most when she shows her strength. 

He smiles. A deep chuckle shaking his chest that reverberates through her. “You know what, I’ve just had an idea. Want to know what it is?”

_ No.  _

She shakes her head subtly. Just a quick jerk that’s impossible to miss with how close he is. Broad chest pressing against her breasts. 

“I think you could be useful. Everyone has their purpose.”

“I thought I already had one.” She struggles to answer him, pulse quickening as she begins to realize for the first time that she’s in danger. That she shouldn’t have underestimated him. “You’re making me into a soldier.”

“I am,” he confirms softly, raising a hand to tangle in her hair. He yanks her head back, forces their eyes together. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t help me out right now. You said it yourself, I’m a bit stressed. Run ragged to make sure Joseph’s project doesn’t fall apart completely by people like you.”

His breath is hot on her neck when he leans down to lay a kiss there. His touch doesn’t stay gentle for long, that’s just not Jacob. Soon he’s all teeth, biting at her skin with a ferocity that makes her wheeze. It’s too much, breaks the skin and draws blood that he laps up with his tongue. 

Her hands stay limp at her side, fingers twitching a moment later when his bloodied teeth raise to the corners of her lips. 

“Don’t even think about it,” he warns, hot breath invading her mouth. 

“What?”

“Your gun.” The hand not tangled in her hair drops to her waist. Right where she’s grabbing her pistol. “Give it to me.”

Rook laughs, he can’t be serious. But he’s pulled back to glare at her, fingers tightening in her hair when she doesn’t move. 

He moves lightening quick. Knee meeting her stomach and stealing her breath away. She doubles over, half draped over his thigh because of course he doesn’t just let her drop to the ground. He holds her there for a moment, let’s her claw at the muscles beneath his jeans until she manages to suck in some air. 

In the process he grabs her gun and tosses it across the room, somewhere she can’t see. 

“Knees. Now.” He waits a beat, maybe to see if she’ll comply. Rook doesn’t—that'd be too close to submission. He sighs, like he’s disappointed, and puts a hand on her shoulder to shove her to the ground. 

“There, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?” 

Rook bares her teeth at him, an angry wildcat once more. “Exactly what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” 

He looks down at her, a smile tilting his lips up. “C’mon, deputy, don’t make me spell it out for you.” His hand drops to the front of his jeans drawing her eyes to his hardening bulge. “I’m sure you know what to do here.” 

“You trust me down here?” She laughs crudely, batting away his hands to run a fingertip over his erection. “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t use teeth.” 

He doesn’t seem too concerned with her threat. He takes it in stride. “You saying you don’t want this?”

She’s quiet, only raises an eyebrow. 

“Let me check then.”

Her spine goes straight, eyes wide as he kneels down and undoes the button of her jeans. Her thighs fall open, breath picking up as he slips his hand inside her panties and brushes through her curls. 

“You’re soaked,” he whispers in the shell of her ear, finger circling her entrance but not yet slipping in. “Now try and tell me you don’t want my cock.”

She groans, head falling on his shoulder. “Jesus Christ, you’re fucking dirty.”

He laughs, hand pulling away from her sex as he stands once more. He looks at her expectantly, working off his belt buckle and leaving the rest to her. 

She goes slow, not quite trusting that there aren’t any strings attached. This is something straight out of her dreams, the kind of thing that she wouldn’t ever believe would happen. But it’s happening alright. She undoes the button on his jeans and pulls down the zip, feeling the warmth he exudes. 

It’s real. And Jacob’s letting her touch him. He pulls her in close with a hand resting on the back of her head and doesn’t protest when she hesitates. 

Her nose nuzzles across his boxers, tongue flicking out where it’s stained darker as he leaks out. She tugs at his jeans and underwear, pulling them down in one go. Jumping back before his dick as the chance to knock her cheek. 

He huffs, amused. “Not scared, are you?”

She glances up at him, holding his gaze in challenge as she wraps her hand around the base of his cock and squeezes. She draws a gasp from him. His eyes shut as she strokes up, chin tilted down on his chest as he focuses on her touch. 

She takes him in her mouth one inch at a time. Breathing slowly through her nose as she gets deeper. She has to stop occasionally, make sure she doesn’t choke. Jacob has other ideas though. His hips buck forward impatiently, cock head hitting the back of her throat. 

Rook gags, spit gathering at the corner of her mouth as she fights the urge to pull away. 

“There we go, choke on it, honey.”

Her lips make a tight seal around his shaft and she hums in response. Tries to get him off before he has a chance to do that again. He seems to only really want to hear the noises she makes though, so she puts on a show for him. 

Her hand thrusts up and down where her mouth can’t reach as she bobs her head along his length. Her tongue traces his veins and ghosts past his slit. Swallowing pre-cum as he groans above her. She shoves her other hand down the front of her jeans, rubbing her clit in small circles as she sucks him dry. 

“Good girl,” he breathes through trembling lips, “so fucking amazing.” He reaches down and thumbs at her mouth where she’s stretched around his cock. “You do this often, deputy?” He laughs when she coughs, caught off guard. 

“Huh?” He prods, hips starting a slow pace as he thrusts into her mouth. “Is that how you got your job? Or were you a perfect little deputy by day and at night you treated men like the good pet you are?” 

She can’t answer, he knows that, but she hums anyway. Sends vibrations through his cock as he speed up and makes her choke again, stealing her breath away as he jams to the back of his throat and stays there a beat too long. 

Her hands raise to his bare thighs, nails digging in when he doesn’t pull back. It takes a few more seconds until he’s spilling down her throat, hips stuttering with a low grunt. 

“Swallow it,” he tells her, stepping back and crouching down to watch her lips twist. She does as told though, too wrapped up in her lust to think twice. It’s bitter and salty, makes her cough after it goes down. But she’d do it again just to see the way his eyes light up with glee. 

He tucks himself back into his jeans, turning away from her as he pulls his zip back up. He plants his hands on his desk, head bent. He leaves her sitting on her knees on the floor, he’s suspiciously quiet. 

“Jacob—“

“Get out, Rook.” He glances over his shoulder at her, “I think you served your purpose well enough today.” 

Her eyes narrow, “just like that? You’re just going to let me go?”

He chuckles then he shrugs. “Yeah, honey, just like that.”

She stands carefully, eyeing her gun across the room. “Why?”

He’s quiet for a bit, maybe searching for an explanation himself. “Cause you know your place.” He smiles at her, a little up tick to his lips that sends a shiver down her spine. “I didn’t take away your knife,” he points out softly, “you had every chance to kill me. Now go on, rabbit, run.” 


	79. Drawings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob finds drawings that Rook did of him and his siblings

“The stuff you asked for, sir.”

Jacob doesn’t bother looking up from his paperwork as he makes checkmarks and X’s in autopilot. Passed. Failed. Strong. Weak. His wrist is starting to ache and he’s desperate to work on his newest pet, but he needs to finish this first. 

“Leave it on the bed and get back to your post.”

“Yessir.” 

It takes all his willpower not to pounce on the bag that his Chosen left for him. He’s got more discipline than that though, even if the deputy has been on his mind since she stepped foot into his region. And with her personal belongings sitting mere feet away—it’s a struggle. But he waits until his work is done, pours himself some day old coffee and toes off his shoes to get more comfortable. He plans to make an event of this. 

This is Rook, after all. Well, more accurately, Rook’s things. Items that have been confiscated from her as soon as she passed through the gates of the Vet Center. The same goes for everyone he puts in a cage. It dehumanizes them, makes them easier to break when he strips them of their possessions. 

He hopes the same will be said for Rook. 

Laying on the top of her bag is a beat up digital watch and some stud earrings, they don’t look special, but he wouldn’t be able to see sentimental value. 

He unlatches her pack next and starts unloading what’s inside. It’s nothing he wouldn’t expect. An extra change of clothes, some throwing knives, packs of food and a water bottle. It’s when he gets towards the bottom where he pauses. A notebook. 

Some small part of Jacob prays that it has intel he needs, something that will be useful for the project. He knows their deputy isn’t stupid though, she wouldn’t carry something like that on her. 

He still looks inside though. Flips through the pages with half hearted interest. He’s only mildly surprised with what he finds. Sketches. Dozens of them lining the pages. Most of them are of Rook’s animal companions. A mangy dog with a floppy ear and a bear that was meant to be Jacob’s. There’s some unfinished stuff, landscapes mostly. Bridges that span across the county and a church he doesn’t recognize. 

He continues to flick through it, still scanning for something important. Maybe some mindless scribbles in the margins. It’s while he’s doing that when he finds a stack of folded up papers in the middle of the book. 

“Ah, there we go.” 

Jacob unfolds it and pulls back, eyes scanning the sketch which is by far the most detailed one. It’s...well it’s obviously his brother. Glasses perched on top of his head, key dangling around his neck and disappearing into his silken button up. It’s John alright, except it’s obvious that he has no idea someone’s using him as a model. The lines are a bit jagged, as if he was moving around when she was drawing. 

Jacob’s mouth is dry. He doesn’t like the thought that the deputy could get so close to John and he wouldn’t even know it. 

The next couple are of John from different angles, which makes sense really, she’s been in the valley for a solid two months now. 

He likes the one where John’s laughing, it looks so genuine. Jaxob doesn’t remember the last time he’s seen his brother happy, really happy—not his faux smirk. He wonders how Rook captured it the way she did. 

There’s only a handful of Faith—their sister knows how to be elusive and Jacob can only guess that these pictures used bliss Faith as a reference. Joseph’s pictures are rare too, only a handful. But it’s clear from the backdrop of them that they’re from when he was behind the gated walls of his compound. Some of are him preaching, hand raised to the sky while the other holds his book to his chest. 

There’s another where his tinted glasses are off for once, he’s lying on his back next to a body of water. An arm curled beneath his head to act as a pillow and his ankles crossed. He looks so peaceful that it sends an ache through Jacob’s chest. 

Then he gets to the pictures of him. He gets to see for the first time what someone else sees when they look at him. It’s...different. How Rook captures the scars on his face and across his arms. They aren’t as bright as he’d draw them if he ever dared to. They’re not the focal point of the picture. And he remembers this day, if the background is anything to go by. His arms are across his chest, chin lifted slightly with a Judge sitting by his feet. He looks so  _ big,  _ broader than he thinks he is. 

The next one is scarily close for comfort. He’s standing on his balcony, leaning on the banister with a coffee cup in his hand. He’s got a tank top on and boxers. His hair is a mess and he looks angry. Expression pinched and tight. 

Jacob swallows and he hates the way his throat clicks at the movement. He grabs for his radio, walking over to his desk and spreading the pictures out across it. 

“Bring the deputy up here. Right now.” There’s a muffled response of “yessir,” and he busies himself by settling behind his desk. Leaning back in a show of casualty. Trying to feign disinterest when there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Rook looks worse than she had when she was brought in this morning. She’s dragging her feet, keeping her eyes down low as she shuffles to the middle of the room. He knows her empty bag sitting on his bed doesn’t go unnoticed, she doesn’t say anything though. 

“Take a seat, Rook.”

She does so robotically, hands clenched in her lap. She sucks in the softest of breaths when she sees the drawings on his desk. It’s barely noticeable but he’s listening real close. 

“Wanna explain these?” He asks, leaning forward with his elbows braced on the desk. He doesn’t smile, but there’s mirth dancing in his eyes. Shining so bright if only because of how broken she is. He’s done his job well. 

Rook stares back at him, head tipping to the side as she considers her words. “What’s there to explain? They’re just drawings.”

He hums and picks one up, one of John. “Drawings of my family. When did you do them?”

“They’ve got dates on them.” She mutters, a fire lighting up behind her words and oh he realizes just how smart his kitten is. She’s pretending, playing at being docile to make him think he’s won. “On the back.”

He twists the picture in his grasp and spots a hastily written date in sloppy handwriting. Three weeks ago. “So there is,” he hums. “You’ve been watching my family?” His lips twist and he grabs one of himself and slides it over to her, “watching me?”

She nods. Throat bobbing with her swallow. “Does that bother you?” She dares to ask. 

“Should it?”

Rook shrugs, leaning back in her chair—away from him. “Dunno, you tell me.”

His eyes narrow, lips pulling back into a snarl when he suddenly decides that he hates how comfortable she looks. Like they’ve known each other all their lives. Like he doesn’t have any power at all. 

“Stand up. Now.” Jacob rises himself, giving her a once over when she doesn’t move. “C’mon, don’t make me repeat myself.” 

With an air of annoyance Rook finally does as told. Making the chair squeak against the floor. 

He grabs her shoulder and pulls her to the center of the room, crowding her space and forcing her head to pan back to get a proper look at him. 

“Why?” He asks, hand sliding down her arm and squeezing her fingers painfully tight. “Why’d you watch us just to draw pictures? You’ve had multiple opportunities to kill us.”

“I didn’t want to. I still don’t.”

“ _ Why?”  _

She frowns, eyes darting around and her tongue flicking out to wet her chapped lips. She misses the way Jacob tracks the motion. “Cause I’m not like you.” She whispers hesitantly, “I’ve got a conscious, Jacob, a heart, and that doesn’t make me weak.” She raises the hand that Jacob doesn’t have locked in his grip to touch his chest. Right over his heart. 

“I’ve seen a part of you and your siblings that are human. I struggle every night trying to see the monster you all are, but that’s hard when I’ve seen the soft parts.”

“You think I’m soft?” It sounds like a challenge, though that could just be the natural deep timber of his voice. 

He looks off to the side, towards the drawings still scattered on his desk. He remembers how they made him feel and sucks in a steadying breath. 

“To an extent.” She finally says, “some parts of you are soft the same way some parts of you are broken and jagged. Just like the rest of us.”

Jacob struggles to find words, nothing seems right to say at this moment. “I could kill you right now.”

Rook laughs, taking a step closer to him until he can smell the dirt and blood on her skin. Their chests brush and she rises up on her toes to get closer, to take in his eyes and the bumps on his skin. “I know.”

“But that doesn’t scare you?” He snaps, voice rising as he suddenly shoves her away. Rising to his full height with a snarl on his face. “What the hell did you see when you drew those fucking things? What are you playing at?”

“I guess I saw something you don’t think is worth showing. You hide that part of yourself and I’m going to figure out why.”

Jacob laughs, taking stumbling steps away from her until he can plant his hand on his desk to keep from falling. He feels sick.

“Leave, deputy.”

But she doesn’t, not right away. “You’re scared.”

“Don’t do that,” he whispers, holding her gaze firmly. “Get out and don’t fucking do that.”

“Do  _ what?  _ What are you so scared of?” Her voice raises and she advances towards him. Arms held out like he’d actually take her hand. 

“Whatever the hell you saw in me. Now leave, deputy, I have no problem shooting you dead right here.”

Rook doesn’t seem scared at all. She just gives him a placating smile and walks by him with her chin held high. She’s won. He knows that, and she does too. He isn’t sure what just happened, how she can navigate him so easily, but she’s good at what she does. 

And she was right. He’s scared. Fucking terrified, and she has everything to do with that. 


	80. Cornered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rook is surrounded with no back up and injured. In such a situation, she pulls out a tape recorder and plays Only You. It’s enough to get Jacob’s attention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks for closecry, aka, MadQueen, who helped me a lot when writing this fic!

Rook is shaking, her hands keep slipping from her pistol (only two shots left) and she can’t seem to be able to catch her breath. All things considered, it could be worse.

She wonders if the Peggies surrounding her would let her put her hands up and surrender. She only entertains that thought for a moment before a stray bullet catches off the tree she’s hiding behind and she figures that she’s just fine where she is. 

Her radio is working just fine, but no ones nearby, no ones coming to save her. It’s with still shaking hands that she tugs off her bag and dives into the front pocket. She feels around until her fingers lock around a weathered tape recorder that she’s only used a handful of times before. 

Some sort of muscle memory makes her see red before the song even starts to play. She laughs humorlessly. What the fuck has her life come to? 

She presses down on the side button, tossing the recorder down beside her as the notes begin to ring out. She’s in the mountains, she’s feared by Jacob’s soldiers, and yet they don’t seem to know what song their herald has been pounding into her head for the past month. 

Rook finally does see red, her vision goes foggy and she feels herself moving without really _feeling_ it. 

.0.

The first thing Rook notices when she comes to is the pounding in her head. She reaches up, groaning low at the pain that sends down her arm, and jabs until she finds the source of her headache. There’s a small bump forming on the back of her skull from where someone hit her. Either with a gun or baseball bat, maybe even a metal pipe, it’s a toss up in this county 

She lifts her head up wearily, eyes squinting past the sun. And she feels sick immediately. No matter how many times she does this—use that song and go on a murderous rampage—waking up in a sea of dead mutilated bodies with no memory, will always make her nauseous. 

A few times she had the luxury to treat her wounds and throw up. Not this time, she hears the helicopters in the distance, steadily coming towards her and the mess she’s made. 

She has to move. But it’s difficult. Everything hurts. Her stomach and limbs, her head and right behind her eyes. Even her kidneys hurt, though she isn’t too sure why. She does manage to get up on hands and knees, which is more than she thought she’d be able to do. 

She doesn’t get far before the helicopters land, she can still hear them. It’s around then that her body gives in. She collapses, face buried in the muck around her. Somehow though, she doesn’t pass out. She hangs on, just in case she has to run, but the sound of an approaching army doesn’t ever reach her ears. 

Strange, how she can slaughter Jacob’s men but he won’t search for the one who dared to do so. 

But he already knows. 

“Deputy Rook, you continue to surprise me. Here I thought you were nothing special but, well look at what you can do when you really put your mind to it.”

Jacob’s voice will never fail to cause her stomach to curl into knots. It’s no different now, when she’s lying on her side wondering where the nearest outpost is before her injuries kill her. 

She scrambles for her radio, clutching it a little too tightly to her chest. 

“You’re fucking clever, dep, using my conditioning to clear out the same people I sent to nab you.” 

Rook stays quiet. Too scared to answer. 

“Y’know, the first few times it happened, I didn’t pay it any mind. I didn’t even know who did it. But I think you need to start cleaning up your messes. You have a habit of leaving a trail of body in the form of breadcrumbs. Led me right to you.” 

Still quiet as panic sweeps over her brain, makes her hyperventilate and wince as each breath makes her ribs scream. 

“Gonna answer me?” 

_No._

“No? Huh, that’s a shame. I wouldn’t mind seeing you in action again, it’s quite the show. Maybe one time I’ll record it, let you watch.”

Her eyes finally snap shut. Tears welling up and pouring out onto dirty, blood stained cheeks. 

“Tell you what, I’ll come get you myself. Don’t need you pulling that little trick again. See you soon, Rookie.”

Rook at least tries to run away, she gave it a good try, made it maybe half a mile before Jacob catches up to her. She hears him come up behind her crawling form, clicking his tongue at her before he nails her in the gut with his foot. She goes down with a groan, eyes clenching shut as he blocks out the light to lean over her. 

He murmurs a soft “pathetic,” reaching out to rub her cheek with his knuckles. She flinches away and he just laughs. 

“C’mere, on your feet soldier.” He grabs the back of her neck in a bruising grip, making her yelp as she staggers to her feet. She has to hold onto his shoulders to keep herself from falling back to the ground. He at least doesn’t seem to mind. 

Jacob slams her into a tree, causing another deep groan to fall from her lips. She knocks her head back, eyeing him wearily through her lashes. He’s glaring at her, eyebrows pulled down tight as he just stares at her. It’s unnerving, but she feels too close to death to care. 

“What am I supposed to do with you?” He asks gently, removing his hand from the back of her neck to hold onto her shoulder instead. “You’re someone Joseph wants, he’s made that much clear, and I was starting to think I could use you. But not if you’re gonna keep pulling this shit. It’s dangerous. A fucking loose canon. Can’t have that shit, I want a soldier that will do whatever the fuck I ask. A soldier that will die for me.” He grabs her forward and slams her back down into the tree. “You’re not it, honey.”

He pulls out his pistol and drags the barrel along her sternum. 

Rook didn’t think it’d be possible to have another flood of adrenaline fill her system, and yet it happens. 

“You won’t shoot me.”

He tilts his head sideways. “I can shoot you and not kill you,” he points out, and just like that her blood runs cold.

“I-Yeah, you could.” She strains against his pistol, puffing her chest up. “But I don’t think you will.”

He laughs coldly, “you’re at least right about that. I’ve got another idea though. Hold still.” He plants a hand in the center of her chest, keeping her immobile as he aims his gun at her left temple. 

Rook can’t help it, she turns her head and looks away. Eyes clenching shut as she waits for the sweet embrace of death. 

There’s the click of the gun and Jacob’s steady breathing as he lines up the shot. 

The pop it makes is so loud that she falls to her knees. It sends sparks flying through her vision and creates an awful ringing in her ears. A ringing that doesn’t stop even when she pushes her hands against her head. 

Rook can distantly hear the crunch of leaves under Jacob’s feet as he crouches down. But she just barely hears it. It’s so far away and distant that she flinches when he lays a hand on her shoulder. 

He raises her chin up with his finger. “Can you hear me?”

Barely. The ringing is something awful that still hasn’t gone away. She nods slowly. 

His lips twist in annoyance and the gun is being aimed her way again, and just like that she understands what he’s trying to do. Rook attempts to scramble away, she kicks out at his thigh as she turns away but he’s faster. He holds her body flat on the earth and fires again. This time nearer to the opposite ear. 

She’s aware of four more rounds firing before he climbs off of her and lifts her on her feet. 

His lips move. She thinks, going by the way he tips his head, that he’s asking a question, but there’s no way to be sure. There’s a sea of painful sounds ricocheting inside her brain, muting the rest of the world. 

What the fuck had he done? 

She’s aware of her vocal chords straining as she yells, but she can’t be sure that her words are getting out clearly. She can’t hear herself. She can’t hear a thing, even so she tries to push back her panic. It’ll go away, things like this have happened before. When she was a little too close to a blast. 

This feels different and that terrifies her.

He gets close to her ear, his lips moving in a way that makes his facial hair tickle her skin. Maybe on any other day she would flinch away, but now she leans in closer, hands grasping onto his jacket as she strains her ears.

A little bit of sound gets through and she can breathe just a tad easier. Maybe this isn’t permanent. She’ll be fine. She’s okay, Jacob didn’t deafen her completely. But it’s enough, isn’t it? She can’t be a soldier with half hearing. 

Jacob bends down and picks her up, slinging her over his shoulder before she can protest. Though she doesn’t feel any need to struggle, being alone right now in the woods with all sorts of predators is a sure fire way to get killed. 

Jacob runs a soothing hand up and down the back of her leg. Mumbling words which are probably meant to calm her down, because about ten minutes in she starts to cry. 

.0.

Joseph hadn’t been particularly thrilled to find out what his older brother had done, then again Jacob didn’t really seem to care. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes as his brother paced in front of him. 

It’d be laughable if she wasn’t feeling so dead inside. If she hadn’t been literally pronounced dead a week ago per a broadcast Jacob let loose on the county. 

She had cried and screamed and threw things when she heard about that, but now she’s settling into Jacob’s routine. Acting as his shadow for the better part of a day, unless he heads outside the center walls, then he leaves her in his office. He tells her it’s too dangerous, and he’s not wrong.

Her hearing never returned fully, but sometimes at night when Jacob is at his desk working, she goes to sit on his lap with her head tucked under his chin. She catches bits and pieces of his mumblings to himself, and that’s enough to keep her alive. The hope that this isn’t permanent. 

Jacob told her it is. The doctor Jacob took her to see said the same thing.

And if it is, Rook told Jacob that she was going to kill him. 


End file.
